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THE  GIFT  OF 

MAY  TREAT  MORRISON 

IN  MEMORY  OF 

ALEXANDER  F  MORRISON 


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HALF-HOURS 


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Travel  at  Home  and  Abroad 


SELECTED  AND  ARRANGED  BY 

OHAELES    MORRIS 


AMERICA 


ILLUSTRATED 


PHILADELPHIA 

J    B.   LIPPINCOTT    COMPANY 

1896 


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Copyright,  189(5, 

BY 

J.  B.  Lippincott  Company. 


Electrotyped  and  Printed  by  J.  B.  Lippincott  Company,  Philad-lphia,  I'.S.A. 


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S-I70 


PREFACE. 


The  world  is  growing  very  narrow  in  these  late  nine- 
teenth century  days.  In  place  of  the  crawling  slowness 
of  former  travel,  the  steamship  and  steam-railway  now 
fairly  hurl  travellers  over  the  face  of  the  earth,  while  by 
aid  of  the  far-extending  wire  we  are  able  to  talk  freely 
with  our  neighbors  of  the  antipodes.  "  From  Dan  to 
Beersheba"  has  now  become  from  New  York  to  New  South 
Wales,  or  from  Chicago  to  Hong-Kong.  And  yet  this 
growing  neighborliness  does  not  decrease,  but  rather  re- 
doubles, our  interest  in  the  scenes  and  people  of  foreign 
lands.  Nature  retains  her  variety,  nor  is  man's  unity 
much  increased  by  his  growing  propinquity.  Tropic  and 
Arctic  lands  are  as  far  apart  in  condition  as  ever ;  Europe 
differs  from  Asia,  America  from  Africa,  as  greatly  as  of 
yore ;  man  still  presents  every  grade  of  development,  from 
<  the  lowest  savagery  to  the  highest  civilization  ;  and  our 
<2  interest  in  the  marvels  of  nature  and  art,  the  variety  of 
plant  and  animal  life,  and  the  widely  varied  habits  and 
conditions,  modes  of  thought  and  action,  of  mankind,  is 
not  likely  soon  to  lose  its  zest. 

It  is  in  view  of  these  facts  that  we  have  here  endeavored 
to  tell  the  story  of  the  world,  alike  of  its  familiar  and  its 
unfamiliar  portions,  as  displayed  in  the  narratives  of  those 
who  have  seen  its  every  part,  and  particularly  of  those 
travellers  who  first  gazed  upon  the  wonders  and  observed 
the  inhabitants  of  previously  unknown  lands,  and  whose 
descriptions  are  therefore  those  of  discoverers.     It  is  re- 

429387 


4  PREFACE. 

markable  what  variety  has  been  found  to  exist  in  human 
life  and  habits,  what  diversity  in  scenery  and  climate, 
what  multiplicity  of  form  in  the  works  of  man's  hands, 
what  vast  complexity  in  natures  unity.  This  widely 
varied  prospect  is  what  so  deeply  interests  us  in  the  works 
of  travellers,  and  in  the  present  work  has  been  gathered  a 
series  of  descriptive  passages  covering  all  regions  of  the 
several  continents,  in  the  hope  that  those  who  have  not 
the  time  or  opportunity  to  read  these  many  works  in  extenso 
may  find  interest  and  profit  in  the  extracts  here  given, 
and  be  enabled  thereby  to  pass  many  a  pleasant  half-hour 
in  the  broad  domain  of  travel  and  adventure. 

For  the  material  here  employed  we  are  indebted  to  many 
travellers  old  and  new,  and  to  the  courtesy  of  numerous  pub- 
lishers and  authors.    Among  these  it  is  desired  to  acknowl- 
edge particularly  indebtedness  to  the  following  publishers 
and  works:  To   Harper  &  Brothers,  for   selections   from 
Prime's  "  Tent  Life  in  the  Holy  Land,"  Stanley's  "  Through 
the   Dark  Continent,"  Du  Chaillu's  "Equatorial  Africa," 
Orton's  "  The  Andes  and  the  Amazon,"  and  Browne's  "  An 
American   Family  in  Germany."     To   Charles   Scribner's 
Sons:  Stanley's  "In  Darkest  Africa,"  Field's  "The  Greek 
Islands,"  Schley's  "The  Kescue  of  Greeley,"  and  Finck's 
"Pacific  Coast  Scenic  Tour."     To  G.  P.  Putnam's  Sons: 
Taylor's  "  Lands  of  the  Saracens,"  De  Amicis's  "  Holland 
and  its  People,"  and  Brace's  "The New  West."     To  Hough- 
ton, Mifflin  &  Co. :   Melville's   "  In  the  Lena  Delta"  and 
Hawthorne's  "Our  Old   Home."      To  Eoberts  Brother*: 
Hunt's  "  Bits  of  Travel  at   Home."     To  H.  C.  Coates  & 
Co. :  Leonowens's  "  Life  and  Travel  in  India,"  and  to  the 
several  authors  who  have  courteously  granted  us  similar 
favors. 


CONTENTS. 


SUBJECT.                                                                             AUTHOR.  PAGE 

The  Fort  William  Henry  Massacre  .    .  Jonathan  Carver 9 

Winter  and  Summer  in  New  England   Harriet  Martineau 18 

Niagara    Falls    and    the    Thousand 

Islands Charles  Morris 27 

From    New   York    to   Washington   in 

1866 Henry  Latham 35 

The   Natural   Bridge   and   Tunnel  of 

Virginia Edward  A.  Pollard 45 

Plantation  Life  in  War  Times  ....  William  Howard  Russell  ...  58 

Among  Florida  Alligators S.C.Clarke 70 

In  the  Mammoth  Cave Therese  Yelverton 79 

Down  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi    .    .    .  Thomas  L.  Nichols 90 

From  New  Orleans  to  Red  River  .    .    .  Frederick  Law  Olmsted     .    .    .  100 

Winter  on  the  Prairies O.  W.  Featherstonhaugh    .    .    .  110 

A  Hunter's  Christmas  Dinner  .    .    .    .  J.  S.  Campion 120 

A  Colorado  "  Round-Up" Alfred  Terry  Bacon 129 

Among  the  Cow- Boys Louis  C.  Bradford 137 

Hunting  the  Buffalo Washington  Irving 143 

In  the  Country  of  the  Sioux Meriwether  Lewis 153 

The  Great  Falls  of  the  Missouri  .    .    .  William  Clarke 164 

Hunting    Scenes    in     the    Canadian 

Woods B.  A.  Watson 174 

The  Grand  Falls  of  Labrador    .    .    .    .  Henry  G.  Bryant 185 

Life  among  the  Esquimaux William  Edward  Parry     .    .    .  196 

Fugitives  from  the  Arctic  Seas      .    .    .  Elisha  Kent  Kane 2(!(i 

Rescued  from  Death W.  S.  Schley 2  Id 

The  Muir  Glacier Septima  M.  Collis 226 

A  Summer  Trip  to  Alaska James  A.  Harrison 235 

Winnipeg  Lake  and  River W.  F.  Butler .    .    .  245 

A  Fine  Scenic  Route Henry  T.  Finck 255 

South  Pass  and  Fremont's  Peak  .    .    .  John  C.  Fremont 266 

In  the  Yellowstone  Park Ferdinand  V.  Hayden     ....  273 

The  Country  of  the  Cliff-Dwellers    .    .  Alfred  Terry  Bacon 282 

6 


6  CONTENTS. 

SUBJECT.                                                                                 AUTHOR.  PA<US 

Lake  Tahoe  and  the  Big  Trees  .    .    .    .  A.  H.  Tevis 292 

The  Chinese  Quarter  in  San  Francisco  Helen  Hunt  Jackson 302 

Mariposa  Grove  and  Yoseinite  Valley .  Charles  Loring  Brace    ....  312 

A  Sportsman's  Experience  in  Mexico  .  Sir  Rose  Lambert  Price  ....  323 

The  Scenery  of  the  Mexican  Lowlands  Felix  L.  Oswald 332 

Among  the  Ruins  of  Yucatan    ....  John  L.  Stephens 343 

The  Route  of  the  Nicaragua  Canal .    .  Julius  Froebel 354 

The  Destruction  of  San  Salvador     .    .  Carl  Sherzer 361 

Scenes  in  Trinidad  and  Jamaica  .    .    .  James  Anthony  Froude    ....  369 

The  High  Woods  of  Trinidad   ....  Charles  Kingsley 381 

Animals  of  British  Guiana C.  Barrington  Brown 393 

Life  and  Scenery  in  Venezuela     .    .    .  Alexander  von  Humboldt  .    .    .  403 

The  Llaneros  of  Venezuela Ramon  Paez 414 

The  Forests  of  the  Amazon  and  Ma- 
deira Rivers Franz  Keller 424 

Canoe-  and  Camp-Life  on  the  Madeira        "            "         436 

Besieged  by  Peccaries James  W.  Wells 443 

The  Perils  of  Travel Ida  Pfeiffer 456 

Brazilian  Ants  and  Monkeys     ....  Henry  W.  Bates 464 

The  Monarchs  of  the  Andes James  Orton 475 

Inca  High-Roads  and  Bridges  .    .    .    .  E.  George  Squier 485 

The  Gaucho  and  his  Horse Thomas  J.  Hutchinson 495 

Valparaiso  and  its  Vicinity Charles  Darwin 503 

An  Escape  from  Captivity Benjamin  F.  Bourne 512 


LIST   OF  ILLUSTKATIONS. 


PAGE 

Cocoanut-Trees,  Jamaica Frontispiece. 

Natural  Bridge,  Virginia 45 

Dalles  of  the  Columbia  Kiver 164 

In  the  Polar  Ice 210 

Homes  of  the  Cliff-Dwellers 290 

Botanical  Gardens,  Rio  Janeiro 456 


HALF-HOURS 

OP 

Travel  at  Home  and  Abroad. 


THE  FORT  WILLIAM  HENRY  MASSACRE. 

JONATHAN  CARVER. 

[Carver's  interesting  "  Travels  through  the  Interior  Parts  of  North 
America,  in  the  years  1766,  1767,  and  1768,"  is  the  source  of  the  nar- 
rative given  below,  relating  to  an  event  with  which  most  of  our  read- 
ers are  probably  familiar  from  historical  reading,  though  few  of  them 
have  read  the  experience  of  an  actual  participant.  Carver  served  as 
a  captain  in  the  French  and  Indian  War,  and  tells  this  most  thrill- 
ing narrative  of  the  American  wars  as  an  illustrative  episode  in  his 
subsequent  work  of  travels.  He  is  describing  the  cruel  actions  of  the 
Indians  in  war.] 

I  have  frequently  been  a  spectator  of  them,  and  once 
bore  a  part  in  a  similar  scene.  But  what  added  to  the  hor- 
ror of  it  was  that  I  had  not  the  consolation  of  being  able 
to  oppose  their  savage  attacks.  Every  circumstance  of  the 
adventure  still  dwells  on  my  memory,  and  enables  me  to 
describe  with  greater  perspicuity  the  brutal  fierceness  of 
the  Indians  when  they  have  surprised  or  overpowered  an 
enemy. 

As  a  detail  of  the  massacre  at  Fort  William  Henry  in 
the  year  1757,  the  scene  to  which  I  refer,  cannot  appear 
foreign  to  the  design  of  this  publication,  but  will  serve  to 

9 


10  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Carver 

give  my  readers  a  just  idea  of  the  ferocity  of  this  people,  I 
shall  take  the  liberty  to  insert  it,  apologizing  at  the  same 
time  for  the  length  of  the  digression  and  those  egotisms 
which  the  relation  renders  unavoidable. 

General  Webb,  who  commanded  the  English  army  in 
North  America,  which  was  then  encamped  at  Fort  Ed- 
ward, having  intelligence  that  the  French  troops  under 
Mons  Montcalm  were  making  some  movements  towards 
Fort  William  Henry,  he  detached  a  corps  of  about  fifteen 
hundred  men,  consisting  of  English  and  provincials,  to 
strengthen  the  garrison.  In  this  party  I  went  as  a  volun- 
teer among  the  latter. 

The  apprehensions  of  the  English  general  were  not  with- 
out  foundation,  for  the  day  after  our  arrival  we  saw  Lake 
George  (formerly  Lake  Sacrament),  to  which  it  lies  con- 
tiguous, covered  with  an  immense  number  of  boats,  and  in 
a  few  hours  we  found  our  lines  attacked  by  the  French 
general,  who  had  just  landed  with  eleven  thousand  regu- 
lars and  Canadians  and  two  thousand  Indians.  Colonel 
Munro,  a  brave  officer,  commanded  in  the  fort,  and  had  no 
more  than  two  thousand  three  hundred  men  with  him,  our 
detachment  included. 

With  these  he  made  a  brave  defence,  and  probably  would 
have  been  able  at  last  to  preserve  the  fort  had  he  been 
properly  supported  and  permitted  to  continue  his  efforts. 
On  every  summons  to  surrender  sent  by  the  French  gen- 
eral who  offered  the  most  honorable  terms,  his  answer  re- 
peatedly was,  that  he  found  himself  in  a  condition  to  repel 
the  most  vigorous  attacks  his  besiegers  were  able  to  make; 
and  if  he  thought  his  present  force  insufficient,  he  could 
soon  be  supplied  with  a  greater  number  from  the  adjacent 

army.  n       .,, 

Jiut  the  colonel  having  acquainted  General  Webb  with 
his  situation,  and  desired  he  would  send  him  some  fresh 


Carver]    THE  FORT  WILLIAM  HENRY  MASSACRE.        11 

troops,  the  general  despatched  a  messenger  to  him  with 
a  letter,  wherein  he  informed  him  that  it  was  not  in  his 
power  to  assist  him,  and  therefore  gave  him  orders  to  sur- 
render up  the  fort  on  the  best  terms  he  could  procure. 
This  packet  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  French  general,  who 
immediately  sent  a  flag  of  truce,  desiring  a  conference  with 
the  governor. 

They  accordingly  met,  attended  only  by  a  small  guard, 
in  the  centre  between  the  lines,  when  Mons.  Montcalm  told 
the  colonel  that  he  was  come  in  person  to  demand  posses- 
sion of  the  fort,  as  it  belonged  to  the  king,  his  master. 
The  colonel  replied  that  he  knew  not  how  that  could  be, 
nor  should  he  surrender  it  up  while  it  was  in  his  power  to 
defend  it. 

The  French  general  rejoined,  at  the  same  time  delivering 
the  packet  into  the  colonel's  hand,  "  By  this  authority  do  I 
make  the  requisition."  The  brave  governor  had  no  sooner 
read  the  contents  of  it,  and  was  convinced  that  such  were 
the  orders  of  the  commander-in-chief,  and  not  to  be  dis- 
obeyed, than  he  hung  his  head  in  silence,  and  reluctantly 
entered  into  a  negotiation. 

In  consideration  of  the  gallant  defence  the  garrison  had 
made,  they  were  to  be  permitted  to  march  out  with  all  the 
honors  of  war,  to  be  allowed  covered  wagons  to  transport 
their  baggage  to  Fort  Edward,  and  a  guard  to  protect 
them  from  the  fury  of  the  savages. 

The  morning  after  the  capitulation  was  signed,  as  soon 
as  day  broke,  the  whole  garrison,  now  consisting  of  about 
two  thousand  men,  besides  women  and  children,  were 
drawn  up  within  the  lines,  and  on  the  point  of  marching 
off,  when  great  numbers  of  the  Indians  gathered  about  and 
began  to  plunder.  We  were  at  first  in  hopes  that  this  was 
their  only  view,  and  suffered  them  to  proceed  without  op- 
position.    Indeed,  it  was  not  in  our  power  to  make  any, 


12  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Cartkr 

had  we  been  so  inclined,  for,  though  we  were  permitted  to 
carry  off  our  arms,  yet  we  were  not  allowed  a  single  round 
of  ammunition.  In  these  hopes,  however,  we  were  disap- 
pointed ;  for  presently  some  of  them  began  to  attack  the 
sick  and  wounded,  when  such  as  were  not  able  to  crawl 
into  the  ranks,  notwithstanding  they  endeavored  to  avert 
the  fury  of  their  enemies  by  their  shrieks  or  groans,  were 
soon  despatched. 

Here  we  were  fully  in  expectation  that  the  disturbance 
would  have  concluded,  but  in  a  short  time  we  saw  tbe  same 
division  driven  back,  and  discovered  that  we  were  entirely 
encircled  by  the  savages.  We  expected  every  moment 
that  the  guard,  which  the  French,  by  the  articles  of  capit- 
ulation, had  agreed  to  allow  us,  would  have  arrived,  and 
put  an  end  to  our  apprehensions,  but  none  appeared.  The 
Indians  now  began  to  strip  every  one,  without  exception, 
of  their  arms  and  clothes,  and  those  who  made  the  least 
resistance  felt  the  weight  of  their  tomahawks. 

I  happened  to  be  in  the  rear  division,  but  it  was  not  long 
before  I  shared  the  fate  of  my  companions.  Three  or  four 
of  the  savages  laid  hold  of  me,  and  whilst  some  held  their 
weapons  over  my  head,  the  others  soon  disrobed  me  of  my 
coat,  waistcoat,  hat,  and  buckles,  omitting  not  to  take  from 
me  what  money  I  had  in  my  pocket.  As  this  was  trans- 
acted close  by  the  passage  tbat  led  from  the  lines  on  to 
the  plain,  near  which  a  French  sentinel  was  posted,  I  ran 
to  him  and  claimed  his  protection,  but  he  only  called  me 
an  English  dog,  and  thrust  me  with  violence  back  again 
into  the  midst  of  the  Indians. 

I  now  endeavored  to  join  a  body  of  our  troops  that  were 
crowded  together  at  some  distance,  but  innumerable  were 
the  blows  that  were  made  at  me  with  different  weapons  as 
I  passed  on ;  luckily,  however,  the  savages  were  so  close 
together  that  they  could  not  strike  at  me  without  endan- 


Carver]     THE  FORT  WILLIAM  HENRY  MASSACRE.        13 

gering  each  other,  notwithstanding  which  one  of  them 
found  means  to  make  a  thrust  at  me  with  a  spear,  which 
grazed  my  side,  and  from  another  I  received  a  wound  with 
the  same  kind  of  weapon  on  my  ankle.  At  length  I  gained 
the  spot  where  my  countrymen  stood,  and  forced  myself 
into  the  midst  of  them.  But  before  I  got  thus  far  out  of 
the  hands  of  the  Indians  the  collar  and  wristbands  of  my 
shirt  were  all  that  remained  of  it,  and  my  flesh  was 
scratched  and  torn  in  many  places  by  their  savage  grips. 

By  this  time  the  warwhoop  was  given,  and  the  Indians 
began  to  murder  those  that  were  nearest  to  them  without 
distinction.  It  is  not  in  the  power  of  words  to  give  any 
tolerable  idea  of  the  horrid  scene  that  now  ensued ;  men, 
women,  and  children  were  despatched  in  the  most  wanton 
and  cruel  manner,  and  immediately  scalped.  Many  of  the 
savages  drank  the  blood  of  their  victims  as  it  flowed  warm 
from  the  fatal  wound. 

We  now  perceived,  though  too  late  to  avail  us,  that  we 
were  to  expect  no  relief  from  the  French  ;  and  that,  con- 
trary to  the  agreement  they  had  so  lately  signed  to  allow 
us  a  sufficient  force  to  protect  us  from  these  insults,  they 
tacitly  permitted  them ;  for  I  could  plainly  perceive  the 
French  officers  walking  about  at  some  distance,  discoursing 
together  with  apparent  unconcern.  For  the  honor  of 
human  nature  I  would  hope  that  this  flagrant  breach  of 
every  sacred  law  proceeded  rather  from  the  savage  dis- 
position of  the  Indians,  which  I  acknowledge  it  is  some- 
times almost  impossible  to  control,  and  which  might  now 
unexpectedly  have  arrived  to  a  pitch  not  easily  to  bo  re- 
strained, than  from  any  premeditated  design  in  the  French 
commander.  An  unprejudiced  observer  would,  however, 
be  apt  to  conclude  that  a  body  of  ten  thousand  Christian 
troops,  most  Christian  troops,  had  it  in  their  power  to  pre- 
vent the  massaci-e  from  becoming  so  general.     But  what- 

2 


14  HALF-HOURS  OF    TRAVEL.  [Carter 

ever  was  the  cause  from  which  it  arose,  the  consequences 
of  it  were  dreadful,  and  not  to  be  paralleled  in  modern 
history. 

As  the  circle  in  which  I  stood  enclosed  by  this  time  was 
much  thinned,  and  death  seemed  to  be  approaching  with 
hasty  strides,  it  was  proposed  by  some  of  the  most  resolute 
to  make  one  vigorous  effort,  and  endeavor  to  force  our  way 
through  the  savages,  the  only  probable  method  of  pre- 
serving our  lives  that  now  remained.  This,  however  des- 
perate, was  resolved  upon,  and  about  twenty  of  us  sprung 
at  once  into  the  midst  of  them. 

In  a  moment  we  were  separated,  and  what  was  the  fate 
of  my  comrades  I  could  not  learn  till  some  months  after, 
when  I  found  that  only  five  or  six  of  them  effected  their 
design.  Intent  only  on  my  own  hazardous  situation,  I  en- 
deavored to  make  my  way  through  my  savage  enemies  in 
the  best  manner  possible.  And  I  have  often  been  aston- 
ished since,  when  I  have  recollected  with  what  composure 
I  took,  as  I  did,  every  necessary  step  for  my  preservation. 
Some  1  overturned,  being  at  that  time  young  and  athletic, 
and  others  I  passed  by,  dexterously  avoiding  their  weapons ; 
till  at  last  two  very  stout  chiefs,  of  the  most  savage  tribes, 
as  I  could  distinguish  by  their  dress,  whose  strength  I 
could  not  resist,  laid  hold  of  me  by  each  arm,  and  began  to 
force  me  through  the  crowd. 

I  now  resigned  myself  to  my  fate,  not  doubting  but  that 
they  intended  to  despatch  me,  and  then  to  satiate  their 
vengeance  with  my  blood,  as  I  found  they  were  hurrying 
me  towards  a  retired  swamp  that  lay  at  some  distance. 
But  before  we  had  got  many  yards,  an  English  gentleman 
of  some  distinction,  as  I  could  discover  by  his  breeches,  the 
only  covering  he  had  on,  which  were  of  fine  scarlet  velvet, 
rushed  close  by  us.  One  of  the  Indians  instantly  relin- 
quished his  hold,  and,  springing  on  this  new  object,  en- 


Carver]     THE  FORT  WILLIAM  HENRY  MASSACRE.        15 

deavored  to  seize  him  as  his  prey;  but  the  gentleman, 
being  strong,  threw  him  on  the  ground,  and  would  prob- 
ably have  got  away,  had  not  he  who  held  my  other  arm 
quitted  me  to  assist  his  brother.  I  seized  the  opportunity, 
and  hastened  away  to  join  another  party  of  English  troops 
that  were  yet  unbroken,  and  stood  in  a  body  at  some  dis- 
tance. But  before  I  had  taken  many  steps  I  hastily  cast 
my  eye  towards  the  gentleman,  and  saw  the  Indian's  toma- 
hawk gash  into  his  back,  and  heard  him  utter  his  last 
groan ;  this  added  both  to  my  speed  and  desperation. 

I  had  left  this  shocking  scene  but  a  few  yards  when  a 
fine  boy  of  about  twelve  years  of  age,  that  had  hitherto 
escaped,  came  up  to  me,  and  begged  that  I  would  let  him 
lay  hold  of  me,  so  that  he  might  stand  some  chance  of 
getting  out  of  the  hands  of  the  savages.  I  told  him  that 
I  would  give  him  every  assistance  in  my  power,  and  to 
this  purpose  bid  him  lay  hold  ;  but  in  a  few  moments  he 
was  torn  from  my  side,  and  by  his  shrieks  I  judge  was 
soon  demolished.  I  could  not  help  forgetting  my  own 
cares  for  a  minute  to  lament  the  fate  of  so  young  a 
sufferer ;  but  it  was  utterly  impossible  for  me  to  take  any 
methods  to  prevent  it. 

I  now  got  once  more  into  the  midst  of  friends,  but  wo 
were  unable  to  afford  each  other  any  succor.  As  this  was 
the  division  that  had  advanced  the  farthest  from  the  fort, 
I  thought  there  might  be  a  possibility  (though  but  a  very 
bare  one)  of  my  forcing  a  way  through  the  outer  ranks  of 
the  Indians  and  getting  to  a  neighboring  wood,  which  I 
perceived  at  some  distance.  I  was  still  encouraged  to  hope 
by  the  almost  miraculous  preservation  I  had  already  ex- 
perienced. 

Nor  were  my  hopes  vain  or  the  efforts  I  made  ineffectual. 
Suffice  to  say  that  I  reached  the  wood,  but  by  the  time  I 
had  penetrated  a  little  way  into  it  my  breath  was  so  ex- 


16  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Carver 

hausted  that  I  threw  myself  into  a  brake,  and  lay  for 
some  minutes  apparently  at  the  last  gasp.  At  length  I 
recovered  power  of  respiration,  but  my  apprehensions 
returned  with  all  their  former  force  when  I  saw  several 
savages  pass  by,  probably  in  pursuit  of  me,  at  no  very  great 
distance. 

In  this  situation  I  knew  not  whether  it  was  better  to 
proceed  or  endeavor  to  conceal  myself  where  I  lay  till 
night  came  on.  Fearing,  however,  that  they  would  return 
the  same  way,  I  thought  it  most  prudent  to  get  farther 
from  the  dreadful  scene  of  my  past  distresses.  Accordingly, 
striking  into  another  part  of  the  wood,  I  hastened  on  as 
fast  as  the  briers  and  the  loss  of  one  of  my  shoes  would 
permit  me,  and,  after  a  slow  progress  of  some  hours, 
gained  a  hill  that  overlooked  the  plain  which  I  had  just  left, 
from  whence  I  could  discern  that  the  bloody  storm  still 
raged  with  unabated  fury. 

But  not  to  tire  my  readers,  I  shall  only  add  that  after 
passing  three  days  without  subsistence,  and  enduring  the 
severity  of  the  cold  dews  for  three  nights,  I  at  length 
reached  Fort  Edward ;  where  with  proper  care  my  body 
soon  recovered  its  wonted  strength  and  my  mind,  as  far  as 
the  recollection  of  the  lato  melancholy  events  would  per- 
mit, its  usual  composure. 

It  was  computed  that  fifteen  hundred  persons  were 
killed  or  made  prisoners  by  these  savages  during  this  fatal 
day.  Many  of  the  latter  were  carried  off  by  them  and 
never  returned.  A  few,  through  favorable  accidents,  found 
their  way  back  to  their  native  country  after  having  ex- 
perienced a  long  and  severe  captivity. 

The  brave  Colonel  Munro  had  hastened  away,  soon  after 
the  confusion  began,  to  the  French  camp  to  endeavor  to 
procure  the  guard  agreed  by  the  stipulation ;  but  his 
application    proving    ineffectual,    he    remained    there    till 


Carter]    THE  FORT  WILLIAM  HENRY  MASSACRE.        17 

General  Webb  sent  a  party  of  troops  to  demand  and  pro- 
tect him  back  to  Fort  Edward.  But  these  unhappy  oc- 
currences, which  would  probably  have  been  prevented  had 
he  been  left  to  pursue  his  own  plans,  together  with  the 
loss  of  so  many  brave  fellows,  murdered  in  cold  blood, 
to  whose  valor  he  had  so  lately  been  a  witness,  made  such 
an  impression  on  his  mind  that  he  did  not  long  survive. 
He  died  in  about  three  months  of  a  broken  heart,  and  with 
truth  might  it  be  said  that  he  was  an  hcnor  to  his  country. 

I  mean  not  to  point  out  the  following  circumstance  as 
the  immediate  judgment  of  Heaven,  and  intended  as  an 
atonement  for  this  slaughter,  but  I  cannot  omit  that  very 
few  of  those  different  tribes  of  Indians  that  shared  in  it 
ever  lived  to  return  home.  The  small-pox,  by  means  of 
their  communication  with  the  Europeans,  found  its  way 
among  them,  and  made  an  equal  havoc  to  what  they  them- 
selves had  done.  The  methods  they  pursued  on  the  first 
attack  of  that  malignant  disorder,  to  abate  the  fever  at- 
tending it,  rendered  it  fatal.  Whilst  their  blood  was  in  a 
state  of  fermentation,  and  nature  was  striving  to  throw 
out  the  peccant  matter,  they  checked  her  operations  by 
plunging  into  the  water:  the  consequence  was  that  they 
died  by  hundreds.  The  few  that  survived  were  trans- 
formed by  it  into  hideous  objects,  and  bore  with  them  to 
the  grave  deep  indented  marks  of  this  much-dreaded 
disease. 

Monsieur  Montcalm  fell  soon  after  on  the  plains  of 
Quebec. 


i.—b  2* 

1 


18  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.        [Martineau 


WINTER  AND  SUMMER  IN  NEW  ENGLAND. 

HARRIET   MARTINEAU. 

[The  "Society  in  America"  and  the  "Ketrospect  of  Western 
Travel,"  by  Harriet  Martineau,  contain  many  interesting  pictures  of 
life  and  scenery  in  the  United  States.  Of  the  descriptive  passages  of 
the  latter  work  we  select  that  detailing  her  experience  of  winter  weather 
in  Boston,  which  she  seems  to  have  looked  upon  with  true  English 
eyes,  and  not  with  the  vision  of  one  "  to  the  manner  born."] 

I  believe  no  one  attempts  to  praise  the  climate  of  New 
England.  The  very  low  average  of  health  there,  the  prev- 
alence of  consumption  and  of  decay  of  the  teeth,  are  evi- 
dences of  an  unwholesome  climate  which  I  helieve  are 
universally  received  as  such.  The  mortality  among  chil- 
dren throughout  the  whole  country  is  a  dark  feature  of 
life  in  the  United  States.  .  .  .  Wherever  we  went  in  the 
North  we  heard  of  the  "lung  fever"  as  a  common  com- 
plaint, and  children  seemed  to  be  as  liable  to  it  as  grown 
persons. 

The  climate  is  doubtless  chiefly  to  blame  for  all  this,  and 
I  do  not  see  how  any  degree  of  care  could  obviate  much 
of  the  evil.  The  children  must  be  kept  warm  within- 
doors ;  and  the  only  way  of  affording  them  the  range  of 
the  house  is  by  warming  the  whole,  from  the  cellar  to  the 
garret,  by  means  of  a  furnace  in  the  hall.  This  makes  all 
comfortable  within  ;  but,  then,  the  risk  of  going  out  is  very 
great.  There  is  far  less  fog  and  damp  than  in  England, 
and  the  perfectly  calm,  sunny  days  of  midwinter  are  en- 
durable ;  but  the  least  breath  of  wind  seems  to  chill  one's 
very  life.  I  had  no  idea  what  the  suffering  from  extreme 
cold  amounted  to  till  one  day,  in  Boston,  I  walked  the 


Martineau]  WINTER  AND  SUMMER.  19 

length  of  the  city  and  back  again  in  a  wind,  with  the  ther- 
mometer seven  degrees  and  a  half  below  zero.  I  had  been 
warned  of  the  cold,  but  was  anxious  to  keep  an  appoint- 
ment to  attend  a  meeting.  We  put  on  all  the  merinoes  and 
furs  we  could  muster,  but  we  were  insensible  of  them  from 
the  moment  the  wind  reached  us.  My  muff  seemed  to  be 
made  of  ice ;  I  almost  fancied  I  should  have  been  warmer 
without  it.  We  managed  getting  to  the  meeting  pretty 
well,  the  stock  of  warmth  we  had  brought  out  with  us  last- 
ing till  then.  But  we  set  out  cold  on  our  return,  and  by 
the  time  I  got  home  I  did  not  very  well  know  where  I  was 
and  what  I  was  about.  The  stupefaction  from  cold  is  par- 
ticularly disagreeable,  the  sense  of  pain  remaining  through 
it,  and  I  determined  not  to  expose  myself  to  it  again.  All 
this  must  be  dangerous  to  children  ;  and  if,  to  avoid  it,  they 
are  shut  up  through  the  winter,  there  remains  the  danger 
of  encountering  the  ungenial  spring.  .  .  . 

Every  season,  however,  has  its  peculiar  pleasures,  and 
in  the  retrospect  these  shine  out  brightly,  while  the  evils 
disappear. 

On  a  December  morning  you  are  awakened  by  the 
domestic  scraping  at  your  hearth.  Your  anthracite  fire 
has  been  in  all  night ;  and  now  the  ashes  are  carried  away, 
more  coal  is  put  on,  and  the  blower  hides  the  kindly  red 
from  you  for  a  time.  In  half  an  hour  the  fire  is  intense, 
though,  at  the  other  end  of  the  room,  everything  you  touch 
seems  to  blister  your  fingers  with  cold.  If  j7ou  happen  to 
turn  up  a  corner  of  the  carpet  with  your  foot,  it  gives  out 
a  flash,  and  your  hair  crackles  as  you  brush  it.  Breakfast 
is  always  hot,  be  the  weather  what  it  may.  The  coffee  is 
scalding,  and  the  buckwheat  cakes  steam  when  the  cover  is 
taken  off.  Your  host's  little  boy  asks  whether  he  may  go 
coasting  to-day,  and  his  sisters  tell  you  what  days  the 
schools  will  all  go  sleighing.    You  may  see  boys  coasting  on 


20  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.        [Martineatt 

Boston  Common  all  the  winter  day  through,  and  too  many 
in  the  streets,  where  it  is  not  so  safe. 

To  coast  is  to  ride  on  a  board  down  a  frozen  slope,  and 
many  children  do  this  in  the  steep  streets  which  lead  down 
to  the  Common,  as  well  as  on  the  snowy  slopes  within  the 
enclosure  where  no  carriages  go.  Some  sit  on  their  heels 
on  the  board,  some  on  their  crossed  legs.  Some  strike 
their  legs  out,  put  their  arms  akimbo,  and  so  assume  an  air 
of  defiance  amid  their  velocity.  Others  prefer  lying  on 
their  stomachs,  and  so  going  headforemost,  an  attitude 
whose  comfort  I  could  never  enter  into.  Coasting  is  a 
wholesome  exercise  for  hardy  hoys.  Of  course,  they  have 
to  walk  up  the  ascent,  carrying  their  boards  between  every 
feat  of  coasting ;  and  this  affords  them  more  exercise  than 
they  are  at  all  aware  of  taking. 

As  for  the  sleighing,  I  heard  much  more  than  I  experi- 
enced of  its  charms.  No  doubt  early  association  has  some- 
thing to  do  with  the  American  fondness  for  this  mode  of 
locomotion,  and  much  of  the  affection  which  is  borne  to 
music,  dancing,  supping,  and  all  kinds  of  frolic  is  trans- 
ferred to  the  vehicle  in  which  the  frolicking  parties  are 
transported.  It  must  be  so,  I  think,  or  no  one  would  be 
found  to  prefer  a  carriage  on  runners  to  a  carriage  on 
wheels,  except  on  an  untrodden  expanse  of  snow.  On  a 
perfectly  level  and  crisp  surface  I  can  fancy  the  smooth, 
rapid  motion  to  be  exceedingly  pleasant ;  but  such  surfaces 
are  rare  in  the  neighborhood  of  populous  cities.  The  un- 
certain, rough  motion  in  streets  hillocky  with  snow,  or  on 
roads  consisting  for  the  season  of  a  ridge  of  snow  with 
holes  in  it,  is  disagreeable  and  provocative  of  headache  I 
am  no  rule  for  others  as  to  liking  the  bells;  but  to  me 
their  incessant  jangle  was  a  great  annoyance.  Add  to  this 
the  sitting,  without  exercise,  in  a  wind  caused  by  the  rapid- 
ity of  the  motion,  and  the  list  of  desagremens  is  complete. 


Martineau]  WINTER  AND  SUMMER.  21 

I  do  not  know  the  author  of  a  description  of  sleighing 
which  was  quoted  to  me,  but  I  admire  it  for  its  fidelity. 
"  Do  you  want  to  know  what  sleighing  is  like  ?  You  can 
soon  try.  Set  your  chair  on  a  spring-board  out  on  the 
porch  on  Christmas-day ;  put  your  feet  in  a  pailful  of 
powdered  ice ;  have  somebody  to  jingle  a  bell  in  one  ear, 
and  somebody  else  to  blow  into  the  other  with  the  bellows, 
and  you  will  have  an  exact  idea  of  sleighing." 

[This  quotation  would  appear  to  be  a  variant  of  Dr.  Franklin's 
recipe  for  sleighing.  As  for  Miss  Martineau's  experience  "  behind  the 
bells,"  it  seems  to  have  been  very  unfortunate.] 

If  the  morning  be  fine,  you  have  calls  to  make,  or  shop- 
ping to  do,  or  some  meeting  to  attend.  If  the  streets  be 
coated  with  ice,  you  put  on  your  India-rubber  shoes — un- 
soled — to  guard  you  from  slipping.  If  not,  you  are  pretty 
sure  to  measure  your  length  on  the  pavement  before  your 
own  door.  Some  of  the  handsomest  houses  in  Boston, 
those  which  boast  the  finest  flights  of  steps,  have  planks 
laid  on  the  steps  during  the  season  of  frost,  the  wood  being 
less  slippery  than  stone.  If,  as  sometimes  happens,  a  warm 
wind  should  be  suddenly  breathing  over  the  snow,  you  go 
back  to  change  your  shoes,  India-rubbers  being  as  slippery 
in  wet  as  leather  soles  are  on  ice.  [It  must  be  borne  in 
mind  that  the  writer  is  speaking  of  the  rubber  shoes  of 
sixty  years  ago.]  Nothing  is  seen  in  England  like  the 
streets  of  Boston  and  New  York  at  the  end  of  the  season, 
while  the  thaw  is  proceeding.  The  area  of  the  street  had 
been  so  raised  that  passengers  could  look  over  the  blinds 
of  your  ground-floor  rooms;  when  the  sidewalks  become 
full  of  holes  and  puddles  they  are  cleared,  and  the  pas- 
sengers are  reduced  to  their  proper  level;  but  the  middle 
of  the  street  remains  exalted,  and  the  carriages  drive  along 
a  ridge.     Of  course,  this  soon  becomes  too  dangerous,  and 


22  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.        [Maktinkau 

for  a  season  ladies  and  gentlemen  walk ;  carts  tumble,  slip, 
and  slide,  and  get  on  as  they  can  ;  while  the  mass,  now 
dirty,  not  only  with  thaw,  but  with  quantities  of  refuse 
vegetables,  sweepings  of  the  poor  people's  houses,  and  other 
rubbish  which  it  was  difficult  to  know  what  to  do  with 
while  every  place  was  frozen  up,  daily  sinks  and  dissolves 
into  a  composite  mud.  It  was  in  New  York  and  some  of 
the  inferior  streets  of  Boston  that  I  saw  this  process  in  its 
completeness. 

If  the  morning  drives  are  extended  beyond  the  city  there 
is  much  to  delight  the  eye.  The  trees  are  cased  in  ice;  and 
when  the  sun  shines  out  suddenly  the  whole  scene  looks 
like  one  diffused  rainbow,  dressed  in  a  brilliancy  which  can 
hardly  be  conceived  of  in  England.  On  days  less  bright, 
the  blue  harbor  spreads  in  strong  contrast  with  the  sheeted 
snow  which  extends  to  its  very  brink.  .  .  . 

The  skysights  of  the  colder  regions  of  the  United  States 
are  resplendent  in  winter.  I  saw  more  of  the  aurora 
borealis,  more  falling  stars  and  other  meteors,  during  my 
stay  in  New  England  than  in  the  whole  course  of  my  life 
before.  Every  one  knows  that  splendid  and  mysterious 
exhibitions  have  taken  place  in  all  the  Novembers  of  the 
last  four  years,  furnishing  interest  and  business  to  the 
astronomical  world.  The  most  remarkable  exhibitions 
were  in  the  Novembers  of  1833  and  1835,  the  last  of  which 
I  saw.  .  .  . 

On  the  17th  of  November  in  question,  that  of  1835,  I 
was  staying  in  the  house  of  one  of  the  professors  of  Har- 
vard University  at  Cambridge.  The  professor  and  his  son 
John  came  in  from  a  lecture  at  nine  o'clock,  and  told  us 
that  it  was  nearly  as  light  as  day,  though  there  was  no 
moon.  The  sky  presented  as  yet  no  remarkable  appear- 
ance, but  the  fact  set  us  telling  stories  of  skysights.  A 
venerable  professor  told  us  of  a  blood-red  heaven  which 


Martinkau]  WINTER  AND  SUMMER.  23 

shone  down  on  a  night  of  the  year  1789,  when  an  old  lady 
interpreted  the  whole  French  Kevolution  from  what  she 
saw.  None  of  us  had  any  call  to  prophesying  this  night. 
John  looked  out  from  time  to  time  while  we  were  about  the 
piano,  but  our  singing  had  come  to  a  conclusion  before  he 
brought  us  news  of  a  very  strange  sky.  It  was  now  near 
eleven.  "We  put  cloaks  and  shawls  over  our  heads,  and 
hurried  into  the  garden.  It  was  a  mild  night,  and  about 
as  light  as  with  half  a  moon.  There  was  a  beautiful  rose- 
colored  flush  across  the  entire  heavens,  from  southeast  to 
northwest.  This  was  every  moment  brightening,  contract- 
ing in  length,  and  dilating  in  breadth. 

My  host  ran  off  without  his  hat  to  call  the  Natural  His- 
tory professor.  On  the  way  he  passed  a  gentleman  who 
was  trudging  along,  pondering  the  ground.  "  A  remark- 
able night,  sir,"  cried  my  host.  Sir!  how,  sir?"  replied  the 
pedestrian.  "  Why,  look  above  your  head  !"  The  startled 
walker  ran  back  to  the  house  he  had  left  to  make  every- 
body gaze.  There  was  some  debate  about  ringing  the 
college-bell,  but  it  was  agreed  that  it  would  cause  too  much 
alarm. 

The  Natural  Philosophy  professor  came  forth  in  curious 
trim,  and  his  household  and  ours  joined  in  the  road.  One 
lady  was  in  her  nightcap,  another  with  a  handkerchief 
tied  over  her  head,  while  we  were  cowled  in  cloaks.  The 
sky  was  now  resplendent.  It  was  like  a  blood-red  dome,  a 
good  deal  pointed.  Streams  of  a  greenish-white  light  radi- 
ated from  the  centre  in  all  directions.  The  colors  were  so 
deep,  especially  the  red,  as  to  give  an  opaque  appearance 
to  the  canopy ,  and  as  Orion  and  the  Pleiades  and  many 
more  stars  could  be  distinctly  seen,  the  whole  looked  like 
a  vast  dome  inlaid  with  constellations.  These  skysights 
make  one  shiver,  so  new  are  they,  so  splendid,  so  mys- 
terious.    We  saw  the  heavens  grow  pale,  and  before  mid- 


24  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.        [Martinkaf 


night  believed  that  the  mighty  show  was  over;  but  we  had 
the  mortification  of  hearing  afterwards  that  at  one  o'clock 
it  was  brighter  than  ever,  and  as  light  as  day. 

Such  are  some  of  the  wintry  characteristics  of  New 
England. 

If  I  lived  in  Massachusetts,  my  residence  during  the  hot 
mouths  should  be  beside  one  of  its  ponds.  These  ponds 
are  a  peculiarity  in  New  England  scenery  very  striking  to 
the  traveller.  Geologists  tell  us  of  the  time  when  the 
valleys  were  chains  of  lakes ;  and  in  many  parts  the  eye 
of  the  observer  would  detect  this  without  the  aid  of  science. 
There  are  many  fields  and  clusters  of  fields  of  remarkable 
fertility,  lying  in  basins,  the  sides  of  which  have  much  the 
appearance  of  the  greener  and  smoother  of  the  dykes  of 
Holland.  These  suggest  the  idea  of  their  having  been 
ponds  at  the  first  glance.  Many  remain  filled  with  clear 
water,  the  prettiest  meres  in  the  world.  A  cottage  on 
Jamaica  Pond,  for  instance,  within  an  easy  ride  of  Boston, 
is  a  luxurious  summer  abode.  I  know  of  one  unequalled  in 
its  attractions,  with  its  flower-garden,  its  lawn,  with  banks 
shelving  down  to  the  mere, — banks  dark  with  nestling  pines, 
from  under  whose  shade  the  bright  track  of  the  moon  may 
be  seen,  lying  cool  on  the  rippling  waters.  A  boat  is 
moored  in  the  cove  at  hand.  The  cottage  itself  is  built  for 
coolness,  and  the  broad  piazza  is  draperied  with  vines, 
which  keep  out  the  sun  from  the  shaded  parlor. 

The  way  to  make  the  most  of  a  summer's  day  in  a  place 
like  this  is  to  rise  at  four,  mount  your  horse  and  ride 
through  the  lanes  for  two  hours,  finding  breakfast  ready 
on  your  return.  If  you  do  not  ride,  you  slip  down  to  the 
bathing-house  on  the  creek;  and,  once  having  closed  the 
door,  have  the  shallow  water  completely  to  yourself,  care- 
fully avoiding  going  beyond  the  deep-water  mark,  where 
no  one  knows  how  deep  the  mero  may  be.     After  break- 


Martineatt]  WINTER  AND  SUMMER.  25 

fast  you  should  dress  your  flowers,  before  those  you  gather 
have  quite  lost  the  morning  dew.  The  business  of  the 
day,  be  it  what  it  may,  housekeeping,  study,  teaching, 
authorship,  or  charity,  will  occupy  you  till  dinner  at  two. 
You  have  your  dessert  carried  into  the  piazza,  where, 
catching  glimpses  of  the  mere  through  the  wood  on  the 
banks,  your  watermelon  tastes  cooler  than  within,  and 
you  have  a  better  chance  of  a  visit  from  a  pair  of  hum- 
ming-birds. 

You  retire  to  your  room,  all  shaded  with  green  blinds,  lie 
down  with  a  book  in  your  hands,  and  sleep  soundly  for  two 
hours  at  least.  When  you  wake  and  look  out,  the  shadows 
are  lencrtheninor  on  the  lawn,  and  the  hot  haze  has  melted 
away.  You  hear  a  carriage  behind  the  fence,  and  conclude 
that  friends  from  the  city  are  coming  to  spend  the  evening 
with  you.  They  sit  within  till  after  tea,  telling  you  that 
you  are  living  in  the  sweetest  place  in  the  world.  When 
the  sun  sets  you  all  walk  out,  dispersing  in  the  shrubbery 
or  on  the  banks.  When  the  moon  shows  herself  above  the 
opposite  woods,  the  merry  voices  of  the  young  people  are 
heard  from  the  cove,  where  the  boys  are  getting  out  the 
boat.  You  stand,  with  a  companion  or  two,  under  the 
pines,  watching  the  progress  of  the  skiff  and  the  receding 
splash  of  the  oars.  If  you  have  any  one,  as  I  had,  to  sing 
German  popular  songs  to  you,  the  enchantment  is  all  the 
greater.  You  are  capriciously  lighted  home  by  fireflies, 
and  there  is  your  table  covered  with  fruit  and  iced  lemonade. 
When  your  friends  have  left  you  you  would  fain  forget  it 
is  time  to  rest,  and  your  last  act  before  you  sleep  is  to  look 
out  once  more  from  your  balcony  upon  the  silvery  mere 
and  moonlit  lawn. 

The  only  times  when  I  felt  disposed  to  quarrel  with  the 
inexhaustible  American  mirth  was  on  the  hottest  days  of 
summer.  I  liked  it  as  well  as  ever ;  but  European  strength 
B  3 


2g  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.        [Martineau 

will  not  stand  more  than  an  hour  or  two  of  laughter  in 
such  seasons.     I  remember  one  day  when  the  American 
part  of  the  company  was  as  much  exhausted  as  the  Eng- 
lish.    We  had  gone,  a  party  of  six,  to  spend  a  long  day 
with  a  merry  household  in  a  country  village,  and,  to  avoid 
the  heat,  had  performed  the  journey  of  sixteen  miles  before 
ten  o'clock.     For  three  hours  after  our  arrival  the  wit  was 
in  full  flow ;  by  which  time  we  were  all  begging  for  mercy, 
for  we  could  laugh  no  longer  with  any  safety.    Still,  a  little 
more  fun  was  dropped  all  round,  till  we  found  that  the 
only  way  was  to  separate,  and  we  all  turned  out  of  doors. 
I  cannot  conceive  how  it  is  that  so  little  has  been  heard 
in  England  of  the  mirth  of  the  Americans ;  for  certainly 
nothing  in  their  manner  struck  and  pleased  me  more.    One 
of  the  rarest  characters  among  them,  and  a  great  treasure 
to  all  his  sportive  neighbors,  is  a  man  who  cannot  take  a 

joke. 

The  prettiest  playthings  of  summer  are  the  humming- 
birds. I  call  them  playthings  because  they  are  easily  tamed, 
and  are  not  very  diflicult  to  take  care  of  for  a  time.  It  is 
impossible  to  attend  to  book,  work,  or  conversation  while 
there  is  a  humming-bird  in  sight,  its  exercises  and  vagaries 
are  so  rapid  and  beautiful.  Its  prettiest  attitude  is  vi- 
brating before  a  blossom  which  is  tossed  in  the  wind.  Its 
long  beak  is  inserted  in  the  flower,  and  the  bird  rises  and 
falls  with  it,  quivering  its  burnished  wings  with  dazzling 

rapidity.    My  friend  E told  me  how  she  had  succeeded 

in  taming  a  pair.     One  flew  into  the  parlor  where  she  was 

Btiting  and  perched.    E 's  sister  stepped  out  for  a  branch 

of  honeysuckle,  which  she  stuck  up  over  the  mirror.     The 
other  bird  followed,  and  the  pair  alighted  on  the  branch, 

flew  off,  and  returned  to  it.    E procured  another  branch, 

and  held  it  on  the  top  of  her  head;  and  thither  also  the 
little  creatures  came  without  fear.     She  next  held  it  in  her 


Morris]     NIAGARA   AND   THE   THOUSAND  ISLANDS.     27 

hand,  and  still  they  hovered  and  settled.  They  bore  being 
shut  in  for  the  night,  a  nest  of  cotton-wool  being  provided. 
Of  course,  it  was  impossible  to  furnish  them  with  honey- 
suckles enough  for  food;  and  sugar-and- water  was  tried, 
which  they  seemed  to  relish  very  well. 

One  day,  however,  when  E was  out  of  the  room,  one 

of  the  little  creatures  was  too  greedy  in  the  saucer ;  and, 

when  E returned,  she  found  it  lying  on  its  side,  with  its 

wings  stuck  to  its  body  and  its  whole  little  person  clammy 

with  sugar.     E tried  a  sponge  and  warm  water :  it  was 

too  harsh  ;  she  tried  old  linen,  but  it  was  not  soft  enough ; 
it  then  occurred  to  her  that  the  softest  of  all  substances  is 
the  human  tongue.  In  her  love  for  her  little  companion 
she  thus  cleansed  it,  and  succeeded  perfectly,  so  far  as  the 
outward  bird  was  concerned.  But  though  it  attempted  to 
fly  a  little,  it  never  recovered,  but  soon  died  of  its  surfeit. 
Its  mate  was,  of  course,  allowed  to  fly  away. 


NIAGARA  FALLS  AND  THE  THOUSAND  ISLANDS. 

CHARLES   MORRIS. 

[Among  travellers'  descriptions  of  the  natural  marvels  of  this  con- 
tinent, much  has  been  written  of  perhaps  the  greatest  of  them  all,  the 
celebrated  cataract  of  the  Niagara  River.  The  Thousand  Islands  have 
also  excited  much  admiration.  Fortunately,  these  two  scenic  wonders 
are  sufficiently  contiguous  to  be  dealt  with  in  one  record,  and  the 
compiler  of  the  present  work  ventures  to  give  his  own  impressions 
of  them,  from  a  printed  statement  made  some  twenty-five  years  ago.] 

Who  has  not  read  in  story  and  seen  in  picture,  countless 
times,  how  the  water  goes  over  at  Niagara?  I  came  hero 
expecting  to  find  every  curve  and  plunge  of  the  river  ap- 
pealing like  a  household  thing   to  my  memory.      So   in 


28  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Morris 

great  measure  it  proved,  yet  travellers  never  succeed  in 
exhausting  a  situation  in  their  narratives;  something  of 
the  unexpected  always  remains  to  freshen  the  sated  appe- 
tite of  new-comers. 

Tourists  are  apt  to  be  disappointed  at  first  sight  of  the 
cataract.     Their  expectations  have  been  overwhetted  ;  and, 
moreover,  the  first  glance  is   usually  obtained    from   the 
American  shore,  an  edgewise  view  that  gives  but  an  ink- 
ling of  the  full  majesty  of  the  scene.     Yet  even  from  this 
point  of  view  we  behold  the  river,  almost  at  our  feet,  rush- 
ing with  concentrated  energy  to  the  brink  of  the  precipice, 
and  pouring  headlong,  in  an  agony  of  froth  and  foam,  into 
a  fearful  void,  from  which  forever  rises  a  rainbow-crowned 
mist.     To  stand  on  the  brink  and  gaze  into  this  terrible 
abyss,  with  the  foaming  waters  plunging  in  a  white  wall 
downward,  is  apt   to   rouse  an   undefined   desire   to  cast 
one's  self  after  the  torrent,  while  minute  by  minute  the 
mind  grows  into  a  realization  of  the  sublimity  of  Niagara. 
But  to  behold  the  cataract  in  the  fulness  of  its  might 
and  glory  one  must  cross  to  the  Canadian  shore,  and  make 
his  way  on  foot  from  the  bridge  westward.     Carriages  will 
be  found  in  abundance,  manned  by  drivers  more  importu- 
nate than  mellifluous;    but   if  the  tourist  would   see  the 
Falls  at  leisure  and  from  every  point  of  view,  he  must  be 
obdurate,  and  resolutely  foot  his  way  along  the  river's  pre- 
cipitous bank. 

First,  arriving  opposite  the  American  Fall,  we  seat  our- 
selves under  a  tree,  and  gaze  with  admiration  on  this  mag- 
nificent water  front,  spread  before  us  in  one  broad,  straight 
sheet  of  milk-white  foam,  swooping  ever  downward  with 
graceful  undulations,  until  beaten  into  mist  on  the  rocks 

below. 

Passing  onward,  we  approach  that  grand  curved  reach 
of  falling  water,  whoso  sublime  aspect  has  been  a  fruitful 


Morris]     NIAGARA   AND    THE   THOUSAND   ISLANDS.     29 

theme  for  poet  and  artist  since  America  has  had  poetry 
and  art.  The  Horseshoe  Fall  is  the  paragon  of  cataracts. 
Sitting  on  what  remains  of  Table-Rock,  and  gazing  on  the 
tumbling,  heaving,  foaming  world  of  waters,  which  seem 
to  fill  the  whole  horizon  of  vision,  the  mind  becomes  op- 
pressed with  a  feeling  of  awe,  and  realizes  to  its  full  extent 
nature's  grandest  vision. 

With  one  vast  leap  the  broad  river  shoots  headlong  into 
an  abyss  whose  real  depth  we  are  left  to  imagine,  since  the 
feet  of  the  cataract  are  forever  hidden  in  a  white  cloud  of 
mist,  shrouded  in  a  dense  veil  which  no  eye  can  penetrate. 
At  the  centre  of  the  curve,  where  the  water  is  deepest,  the 
creamy  whiteness  of  the  remainder  of  the  cataract  is  re- 
placed by  a  hue  of  deep  green.  It  seems  one  vast  sheet  of 
liquid  emerald,  curving  gracefully  over  the  edge  of  the 
precipice,  and  swooping  downward  with  endless  change 
yet  endless  stability,  its  green  tinge  relieved  with  countless 
flecks  of  white  foam. 

The  mind  cannot  long  maintain  its  high  level  of  appre- 
ciation of  so  grand  a  scene.  The  mighty  monotony  of  the 
view  soon  loses  its  absorbing  hold  on  the  senses,  and  from 
sheer  reaction  one  perforce  passes  to  prosaic  conceptions 
of  the  situation.  For  our  part,  we  found  ourselves  pur- 
chasing popped  corn  from  a  peripatetic  merchant  who 
ludicrously  misplaced  the  h's  in  his  conversation,  and, 
taking  a  seat  above  the  Falls,  where  the  edge  of  the  rapids 
swerved  in  and  broke  in  mimic  billows  at  our  feet,  we 
enjoyed  mental  and  creature  comforts  together. 

One  need  but  return  to  the  American  side,  and  cross  to 
the  islands  which  partly  fill  the  river  above  the  Falls,  to 
obtain  rest  for  his  overstrained  brain  among  quieter  aspects 
of  nature.  Goat  Island  one  cannot  appreciate  without  a 
visit.  Travellers,  absorbed  in  the  wilder  scenery,  rarely  do 
justice  to  its  peculiar  charm.     Instead  of  the  contracted 

3* 


30  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Morris 

space  one  is  apt  to  expect,  he  finds  himself  in  an  area  of 
many  acres  in  extent,  probably  a  mile  in  circumference,  its 
whole  surface  to  the  water's  edge  covered  with  dense  forest. 
Passing  inward  from  its  shore,  scarce  twenty  steps  are 
taken  before  every  vestige  of  the  river  is  lost  to  sight,  and 
on  reaching  its  centre  we  find  ourselves,  to  all  appearance, 
in  the  heart  of  a  primeval  forest, — only  the  subdued  roar 
of  the  rapids  reminding  us  of  the  grand  scene  surround- 
ing.  On  all  sides  rise  huge  trunks  of  oaks  and  beeches, 
straight,  magnificent  trees,  many  of  the  beeches  seem- 
ingly from  six  to  eight  feet  in  circumference,  their  once 
smooth  bark  covered  inch  by  inch  with  a  directory  of  the 
names  of  notoriety-loving  visitors.  At  our  feet  wild  flow- 
ers bloom,  the  twittering  of  birds  is  heard  overhead,  nim- 
ble ground-squirrels  fearlessly  cross  our  path,  soft  mosses 
and  thick  grass  form  a  verdant  carpet,  and  on  all  sides 
nature  presents  us  one  of  her  most  charming  phases,  a 
picture  from  Arcadia  framed  in  the  heart  of  a  scene  of 
hurry  and  turmoil  undescribable. 

Near  the  edge  of  the  P'alls  a  rickety  bridge  leads  to  a 
small  island  on  which  stands  Terrapin  Tower,  which  yields 
a  fine  outlook  upon  the  Horseshoe  Fall,  with  its  mists  and 
rainbows.  From  the  opposite  side  of  Goat  Island  we  pass 
to  the  charming  little  Luna  Island,  from  whose  brink  one 
may  lave  his  hand  in  the  edge  of  the  American  Fall.  From 
the  upper  end  of  Goat  Island  bridges  lead  to  the  Three 
Sisters.  These  are  small,  thickly-timbered  islands,  stand- 
ing in  the  stream  far  back  from  the  edge  of  the  precipice, 
but  in  the  very  foam  and  fume  of  the  rapids,  the  con- 
tracted stream  dashing  under  their  graceful  suspension 
bridges  with  frightful  speed  and  roar. 

From  the  bridge  joining  the  two  outer  islands  one  may 
see  the  rapids  in  their  wildest  aspect.  Here  the  river, 
dashing  fiercely  onward,  plunges  over  a  shelf  of  rock  six 


Morris]     NIAGARA   AND   THE   THOUSAND  ISLANDS.     31 

or  eight  feet  deep,  and  is  tossed  upward  in  so  tumultuous 
a  turmoil  of  foam  that  the  heart  involuntarily  stops  beat- 
ing and  the  teeth  set  hard,  as  if  one  were  preparing  for 
a  desperate  conflict  with  the  fierce  power  beneath  him. 
From  every  point  on  the  shore  of  the  outer  island  the 
rapids  are  seen  heaving  and  tossing  as  far  as  the  sight  can 
reach,  like  the  waves  of  a  sea  fretted  by  contrary  winds, 
here  tossed  many  feet  into  the  air,  there  sweeping  fiercely 
over  a  long  ledge  of  rocks,  and  ever  hurrying  forward  with 
eager  speed  to  where  in  the  distance  we  see  a  long,  curved, 
liquid  edge,  with  a  light  mist  floating  upward  and  hovering 
in  the  air  beyond  it.  Here  one  hears  only  the  roar  of  the 
rapids.  Indeed,  anywhere  in  the  nearer  vicinity,  the  sound 
of  the  rapids  is  chiefly  heard,  the  voice  of  the  cataract 
itself  predominating  only  on  the  Canadian  side  near  the 
Horseshoe  Fall. 

Here,  on  this  outreaching  island,  I  sat  for  hours  on  the 
gnarled  trunk  of  a  fallen  tree  that  overhung  the  water, 
drinking  in  the  grandeur  and  glory  of  Niagara  with  a 
mental  thirst  that  seemed  unquenchable,  and  feeling  in  my 
soul  that  I  could  willingly  stretch  the  hours  into  days  and 
the  days  into  weeks,  and  still  descend  with  regret  from 
the  poetry  of  life  into  its  prose. 

Leaving  Niagara,  I  took  car  for  Lewistown,  the  railroad 
running  for  its  whole  length  in  full  view  of  the  river, 
whose  lofty  and  rigidly-erect  walls,  stretching  in  unbroken 
lines  for  miles  below  the  cataract,  give  striking  evidence 
of  the  vast  work  performed  by  the  stream  in  cutting  its 
way,  century  after  century,  through  the  ridge  of  solid  lime- 
stone that  separates  the  lakes.  Far  down  below  the  level 
of  the  railroad  the  water  is  seen,  placidly  winding  through 
the  deep  gorge,  or  speeding  onward  in  rapids,  its  hue  in- 
tensely green,  its  banks  as  lofty  and  precipitous  as  the  Pal- 
isades of  the  Hudson. 


32  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Morris 

Before  Lewistown  is  reached  the  ridge  sinks  to  the  river 
level.  At  this  point  the  cataract  began  its  long  career, 
inch  by  inch  eating  its  way  backward  through  the  former 
rapids,  until  they  were  converted  into  one  mighty  ver- 
tical downfall.  At  Lewistown  boat  is  taken  for  Toronto, 
— of  which  city  only  a  lake  view  of  warehouses  and 
church  steeples  is  seen  as  we  change  boats  for  the  lake 
journey. 

For  the  rest  of  the  day  and  evening  we  steamed  along 
in  full  view  of  the  Canadian  shore,  an  ever-changing  pano- 
rama of  farm  lands,  sandy  bluffs,  occasional  hamlets,  and 
several  towns  of  some  pretensions  to  size  and  beauty. 
Kingston,  a  city  at  the  head  of  the  lake,  is  reached  at  four 
o'clock  in  the  morning.  Immediately  after  leaving  this 
thriving  town  the  state-rooms  begin  to  disgorge  their  occu- 
pants, for  we  now  enter  the  broad  throat  of  the  St.  Law- 
rence Kiver,  and  here  the  Thousand  Islands  begin.  Who 
that  has  a  soul  beyond  cakes  and  ale  would  let  the  desire 
to  indulge  in  his  own  dreams  cheat  him  from  enjoying  one 
of  nature's  loveliest  visions? 

For  some  four  hours  thereafter  the  boat  runs  through 
an  uninterrupted  succession  of  the  most  beautiful  island 
scenery.  These  islands  number,  in  fact,  more  than  eighteen 
hundred,  and  are  of  every  conceivable  size  and  shape ;  some 
so  minute  that  they  seem  but  rock  pediments  to  the  single 
tree  that  is  rooted  upon  their  surface,  while  the  rocky 
shores  of  others  stretch  for  a  mile  or  more  along  the  chan- 
nel. They  are  all  heavily  wooded,  with  here  and  there  a 
light-house,  or  a  rude  hovel,  as  the  only  indication  of  man's 
contest  with  primitive  nature. 

[This  description,  it  may  be  said,  does  not  apply  to  the  present  time, 
when  mansions  and  hotels  have  taken  possession  of  many  of  these 
islands,  and  evidences  of  man's  occupancy  are  somewhat  too  numer- 
ous.] 


Morris]     NIAGARA   AND   THE   THOUSAND  ISLANDS.     33 

Every  few  turns  of  the  wheel  reveals  some  new  feature  of 
the  scene,  unexpected  channels  cutting  through  the  centre 
of  a  long,  wooded  reach,  broad  open  spaces  studded  with 
islets,  narrow  creek-like  channels  between  rocky  island 
shores,  in  which  the  whole  river  seems  contracted  to  a 
slender  stream,  while  farther  on  the  channel  expands  to  a 
mile  in  width,  and  glimpses  of  other  channels  open  behind 
distant  islands.  Quick  turns  in  our  course  plunge  us  into 
archipelagos,  through  which  a  dozen  channels  run  and  wind 
in  every  direction.  Sudden  openings  in  the  wooded  shore 
along  which  we  are  swiftly  gliding  yield  glimpses  of  charm- 
ing islands,  here  closing  the  view,  there  cut  by  narrow 
channels  which  reveal  more  distant  wooded  shores,  and 
lead  the  imagination  suggestively  onward  till  we  fancy 
that  scenes  of  fairy-like  beauty  lie  hidden  beyond  those 
leafy  coverts,  enviously  torn  from  our  sight  by  the  remorse- 
less onward  flight  of  the  boat.  For  hours  we  sit  in  rapt 
delight,  drinking  in  new  beauty  at  every  turn,  and  heed- 
less of  the  fact  that  the  breakfast  gong  has  long  since 
sounded,  and  the  more  prosaic  of  the  passengers  have 
allowed  their  physical  to  overcome  their  mental  hunger. 

One  tall,  long-whiskered  old  devotee  of  "  cakes  and  ale," 
hailing  from  somewhere  in  Ohio,  shaped  somewhat  like  a 
note  of  interrogation,  and  sustaining  his  character  by  ask- 
ing everybody  all  sorts  of  questions,  did  not,  I  am  positive, 
digest  his  breakfast  well,  for  I  took  a  wicked  pleasure  in 
assuring  him  that  we  had  passed  far  the  most  beautiful 
portions  of  the  scenery  while  he  was  engaged  in  absorbing 
creature  comforts,  and  that  the  world  beside  had  nothing 
to  compare  with  the  fairy  visions  he  had  lost.  Old  Buckeye, 
as  I  had  irreverently  christened  him,  wished  his  breakfast 
was  in  Hades,  and  at  once  set  out  on  a  tour  of  interrogation 
to  learn  if  he  could  not  return  by  the  same  route  and  pick 
up  the  lost  threads  of  beauty  he  had  so  idly  dropped. 
I.— c 


34  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Morris 

Another  of  our  fellow-passengers  was  an  English  gentle- 
man of  perfect  Lord  Dundreary  pattern,  his  every  move- 
ment being  so  suggestive  of  those  of  his  stage  counterpart 
as  to  furnish  us  an  unfailing  source  of  amusement.  At 
Prescott,  Canada,  a  New  England  college  boat-club  came 
on  board  with  their  boat,  and  highly  amused  the  passengers 
during  the  remainder  of  the  journey  with  a  long  succession 
of  comical  songs.  Three  of  them  were  sons  of  one  of  our 
venerable  New  England  professors,  one  an  unvenerable 
professor  himself,  yet  their  tanned  faces,  worn  habiliments, 
and  wild  songs  bore  so  strong  a  flavor  of  the  backwoods 
that  it  was  hard  mentally  to  locate  them  within  college 
walls. 

We  were  roused  from  dinner  by  the  announcement  that 
the  Long  Sault  Eapid  was  at  hand,  and  gladly  deserted 
one  of  the  meanest  tables  we  had  ever  encountered  to  par- 
take of  one  of  nature's  rarest  banquets. 

The  boat  was  entering  what  seemed  a  heaving  sea,  the 
waters  lifting  into  dangerous  billows,  and  tossing  our  craft 
with  unmitigated  rudeness,  until  it  became  almost  im- 
possible to  retain  a  level  footing.  But  the  appearance  of 
these  rapids  was  different  from  what  we  had  been  led  to 
expect.  The  frightful  aspect  of  danger,  the  rapid  down- 
hill plunge  of  the  boat,  and  all  the  fear-inspiring  adorn- 
ments of  the  guide-books,  while  they  might  bo  visible  from 
the  shore,  did  not  appear  to  those  on  the  deck.  Apparently 
tho  boat  was  fixed  in  the  heart  of  a  watery  turmoil,  her 
onward  motion  lost  in  her  various  upward  and  sidelong 
movements,  while  as  for  fear,  its  only  evidence  lay  in  little 
shrieks  full  of  laughter,  as  the  equilibrium  of  the  craft 
was  suddenly  destroyed. 

Five  minutes  or  so  of  this  experience  carried  us  through 
the  perilous  portion  of  the  great  rapid,  and  brought  us 
into  safe  waters  again.     The  St.  Lawrence   has  various 


Latham]    FROM  NEW  FORK  TO  WASHINGTON,  1866.        35 

other  rapids  between  the  Long  Sault  and  Montreal,  differ- 
ing in  appearance,  some  of  them  being,  as  far  as  the  eye  can 
reach,  a  succession  of  crossing  and  tumbling  waves,  which 
give  the  boat  unexpected  little  heaves,  and  appear  like  the 
waves  of  a  tossing  sea.  Here  the  water  plunges  rapidly 
down  a  narrow  throat  between  two  islands,  there  it  curves 
round  a  rocky  shore,  on  which  it  breaks  in  ocean-like 
billows.  But  the  only  point  where  danger  becomes  ap- 
parent to  untrained  eyes  is  at  the  La  Chine  Eapids,  near 
Montreal,  where  the  river  runs  through  a  narrow  foaming 
channel  between  two  long  ridges  of  rock,  over  which  the 
water  tumbles  with  a  terrible  suggestion  of  peril. 

The  peak  of  Montreal  mountain  has  been  long  visible, 
and  now  we  rapidly  approach  the  long  line  of  Victoria 
bridge,  the  great  pride  of  Canadian  engineering.  Under 
this  we  glide  with  a  gymnast  at  the  mast-head,  whose 
erected  feet  seem  nearly  to  touch  the  bridge ;  and  in  a 
short  time  we  round  into  the  wharf  and  are  ashore  in  the 
largest  city  of  Canada. 


FROM  NEW  YORK  TO  WASHINGTON  IN  1866. 

HENRY  LATHAM. 

[It  is  not  our  purpose  to  enter  into  descriptions  of  the  cities  of  the 
United  States.  They  are  sufficiently  familiar  already  to  our  readers. 
But  Mr.  Latham  has  given  so  graphic  a  picture  of  the  outward  aspect 
of  the  two  leading  coast  cities  and  the  capital  of  this  country  during 
a  past  generation  that  we  have  been  tempted  to  quote  it.  It  need 
scarcely  be  said  that  this  account  represents  only  in  embryo  these  cities 
as  they  appear  to-day.] 

Safe  arrived  last  night,  after  spending  twelve  days  of 
my  life  at  sea.     I  say  last  night,  as  it  took  us  so  long  to 


36  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Latham 

land  and  get  through  the  custom-house  that  it  was  dark 
before  we  reached  the  Fifth  Avenue  Hotel.  But  it  was 
bright  daylight  and  sunshine  as  we  steamed  up  the  splendid 
harbor  of  New  York,  a  view  which  I  should  have  been 
sorry  to  have  missed.  As  far  as  our  personal  experiences 
go,  the  custom-house  officers  of  New  York  are  not  half  so 
troublesome  as  they  are  said  to  be.  We  had  nothing  to 
smuggle,  but  there  was  a  vast  amount  of  smuggling  done 
by  some  of  our  fellow-passengers.  One  man  landed  with 
his  pocket  full  of  French  watches,  and  another  with  a 
splendid  Cashmere  shawl  round  his  neck.  The  custom- 
house officer,  searching  the  next  luggage  to  mine,  un- 
earthed two  boxes  of  cigars ;  of  course  these  were  contra- 
band. He  spoke  as  follows :  "  Which  are  the  best  ?"  Opens 
box.  "  Have  you  a  light  ?  I  forgot ;  we  must  not  smoke 
here.  Well,  I  will  take  a  few  to  smoke  after  my  supper." 
Takes  twenty  cigars,  and  passes  the  rest. 

December  U,  1866.— I  have  been  on  my  feet  all  day, 
delivering  letters  of  introduction.  These  are  plants  that 
require  to  be  put  in  early,  or  they  are  apt  to  flower  after 
the  sower  has  quitted  the  country.  The  stores  of  the 
Broadway  are  the  most  wonderfully  glorified  shops  ever 
seen.  Something  between  a  Manchester  warehouse  and  a 
London  club-house. 

I  have  spent  all  my  day  in  going  to  and  fro  in  Broad- 
way, the  wonderful  street  of  New  York;  in  ten  years' 
time  the  finest  street  in  the  world.  At  present  there  are 
still  so  many  small  old  houses  standing  in  line  with  the 
enormous  stores,  that  the  effect  is  somewhat  spoiled,  by 
reason  of  the  ranks  not  being  well  dressed.  Broadway 
is  now  much  in  the  condition  of  a  child's  mouth  when  cut- 
ting its  second  set  of  teeth,— slightly  gappy.  The  enor- 
mous stores  look  even  larger  now  than  they  will  do  when 
the  intervals  are  filled  up.    The  external  splendor  of  the 


Latham]    FROM  NEW  YORK  TO  WASHINGTON,  1866.       37 

shops  is  chiefly  architectual ;  they  make  no  great  display 
of  goods  in  the  windows  ;  but  the  large  size  of  the  rooms 
within  enables  them  to  set  out  and  exhibit  many  times  the 
amount  of  goods  that  an  English  shop-keeper  shows. 

The  city  of  New  York  is  on  the  southern  point  of  Man- 
hattan Island,  having  the  East  Kiver  running  along  one 
side,  and  the  North  Eiver  or  Hudson  along  the  other. 
Some  day  far  in  the  future,  when  the  present  municipality 
is  purged  or  swept  away,  and  the  splendor  of  the  Thames 
Embankment  scheme  has  been  realized,  New  York  will 
probably  have  two  lines  of  quays,  planted  with  trees  and 
edged  with  warehouses,  which  will  make  it  one  of  the 
finest  cities  in  the  world.  The  business  quarter  is  at  the 
point  of  the  peninsula.  The  fashionable  quarter  is  to  the 
north,  reaching  every  year  farther  inland.  As  the  city  in- 
creases, the  stores  keep  moving  northward,  taking  posses- 
sion of  the  houses,  and  driving  the  residents  farther  back. 
The  land  is  not  yet  built  over  up  to  Central  Park,  said  to 
be  called  so  because  it  will  be  the  future  centre  of  the  city 
that  is  to  be. 

The  concentrated  crowd  that  passes  along  Broadway  in 
the  morning  "  down-town"  to  its  business,  and  back  in  the 
evening  "  up-town"  to  its  homes,  is  enormous ;  but  the 
pavements  are  bad  for  men  and  abominable  for  horses:  to- 
day I  saw  five  horses  down,  and  two  lying  dead.  At  the 
same  time,  allowance  must  bo  made  for  the  fact  that  it  has 
been  snowing  and  thawing  and  freezing  again  ;  but  as  this 
is  no  uncommon  state  of  things  in  this  climate,  why  pave 
the  streets  with  flat  stones  that  give  no  foothold  ?  The 
"  street-cars"  are  the  universal  means  of  conveyance. 
These  are  omnibuses  running  on  tramways,  but  the  name 
of  omnibus  is  unknown :  if  you  speak  of  a  "  bus"  you  are 
stared  at.  A  young  New  Yorker,  recently  returned  from 
London,  was  escorting  his  cousin  home  one  evening;  as 

4 

429387 


38  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Latham 

the  way  was  long,  he  stopped  and  said,  "Hold  on,  Mary, 
and  let's  take  a  bus."  "  No,  George,  not  here  in  the  street," 
the  coy  damsel  replied.  .  .  . 

We  went  to-day  to  the  top  of  Trinity  Church  tower ;  a 
beautiful  panorama,  with  the  bay  of  New  York  to  tho 
south,  the  city  stretching  away  northward,  and  a  great 
river  on  either  side.  But  it  was  bitterly  cold  at  the  top,  as' 
we  had  heavy  snow  yesterday,  and  the  wind  was  blowing 
keenly.  We  went  also  to  the  Gold  Exchange,  and  gold 
happened  to  be  "very  sensitive"  this  morning,  in  conse- 
quence of  some  rumors  from  Mexico  which  made  it  pos- 
sible that  the  time  for  United  States  interference  was 
nearer  than  had  been  supposed.  The  noise  was  deafening ; 
neither  the  Stock  Exchange  nor  the  ring  at  Epsom  at  all 
approach  it.  All  the  men  engaged  in  a  business  which  one 
would  suppose  required  more  experience  than  any  other, 
the  buying  and  selling  of  gold,  seemed  to  be  under  twenty- 
five  years  of  age ;  most  of  them  much  younger,  some  quite 
boys.  The  reason  given  me  was  that  older  heads  could  not 
stand  the  tumult,  all  gesticulating,  all  vociferating,  every 
man  with  a  note-book  and  pencil,  crowded  round  a  ring 
in  the  centre  of  the  hall  like  a  little  cock-pit,  to  which  you 
descend  by  steps.  Every  now  and  then  a  man  rushes  out 
of  the  telegraph  corner  with  some  news,  which  oozes  out 
and  makes  the  crowd  howl  and  seethe  again.  The  hands 
of  a  big  dial  on  the  wall  are  moved  on  from  time  to  time, 
marking  the  hour  of  the  day  and  the  price  of  gold.  This 
is  the  dial  of  the  barometer  of  national  prosperity,  marked 
by  gold  instead  of  mercury.  .  .  . 

A  huge  sum  of  money  has  been  laid  out  on  Central  Park, 
the  Bois  de  Boulogne  of  New  York.  When  the  timber  has 
grown  larger  it  will  be  very  pretty.  The  ground  is  rocky, 
with  little  depth  of  soil  in  it ;  this  makes  it  difficult  to  get 
the  trees  to  grow,  but,  on  the  other  hand,  gives  the  place  a 


Latham]    FROM  NEW  YORK  TO  WASHINGTON,  1S66.        39 

feature  not  to  be  found  in  our  parks'  or  at  the  Bois,  in  the 
large  masses  of  brown  sandstone  cropping  up  through  the 
turf  here  and  there,  and  in  the  rocky  shores  of  the  little 
lakes. 

In  the  evening  we  went,  by  invitation  of  our  courteous 
banker,  to  the  Assembly  at  Delmonico's  rooms.  In  this  we 
consider  ourselves  highly  honored  and  introduced  to  the 
best  society  of  New  York.  The  toilets  and  the  diamonds 
were  resplendent,  and  one  figure  of  the  "  German"  (cotil- 
lon), in  which  the  ladies  formed  two  groups  in  the  centre, 
facing  inward  with  their  bright  trains  spread  out  behind 
them,  was  a  splendid  piece  of  color  and  costume.  Prince 
Doria  was  there,  and  most  of  the  magnates  of  the  city 
looked  in.  Some  of  the  wealthiest  people  in  the  room 
were  pointed  out  to  me  as  the  present  representatives  of 
the  families  of  the  old  Dutch  settlers ;  those  are  the  pedi- 
grees respected  here. 

December  20,  1866. — We  left  New  York,  having  stayed 
exactly  a  week,  and  meaning  to  return  again.  By  rail  to 
Philadelphia,  ninety-two  miles,  through  a  flat,  snow-covered 
country,  which,  under  the  circumstances,  looked  as  dismal 
as  might  be.  The  latter  part  of  our  journey  lay  along  the 
left  bank  of  the  Delaware,  which  we  crossed  by  a  long 
wooden  bridge,  and  arrived  at  the  Continental  Hotel  just 
at  dusk.  It  is  evident  we  are  moving  South.  The  waiters 
at  this  hotel  are  all  darkies. 

December  21,  1866. — Philadelphia  is  a  most  difficult  town 
just  now  for  pedestrians,  the  door-steps  being  all  of  white 
marble  glazed  with  ice,  and  sliding  on  the  pavement  may 
be  had  in  perfection.  Spent  the  best  part  of  the  day  in 
slipping  about,  trying  to  deliver  letters  of  introduction. 
The  system  of  naming  the  streets  of  Philadelphia  and  of 
numbering  the  houses  is  extremely  ingenious,  and  answers 
perfectly  when  you  have  made  yourself  acquainted  with 


40  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Latham 

it;  but  as  it  takes  an  ordinary  mind  a  week  to  find  it  out, 
the  stranger  who  stops  four  or  five  days  is  apt  to  execrate 
it.  All  the  streets  run  at  right  angles  to  one  another,  bo 
that  a  short  cut,  the  joy  of  the  accomplished  Londoner,  is 
impossible.  It  is  a  chess-board  on  which  the  bishop's 
move  is  unknown.  Nothing  diagonal  can  be  done.  The 
city  is  ruled  like  the  page  of  a  ledger,  from  top  to  bottom 
with  streets,  from  side  to  side  with  avenues.  It  is  all  divided 
into  squares.  When  you  are  fii-st  told  this,  a  vision  arises 
of  the  possibility  of  cutting  across  these  squares  from 
corner  to  corner.  Not  a  bit  of  it :  a  square  at  Philadelphia 
means  a  solid  block  of  houses,  not  an  open  space  enclosed 
by  buildings.  When  you  have  wandered  about  for  some 
time,  the  idea  suggests  itself  that  every  house  is  exactly 
like  the  house  next  to  it;  although  the  inhabitants  have 
given  up  the  old  uniformity  of  costume,  the  houses  have 
not ;  and  without  this  elaborate  system  of  numbering,  the 
inhabitants  of  Philadelphia  would  never  be  able  to  find 
their  way  home. 

Nevertheless,  if  that  is  the  finest  town  in  which  its  in- 
habitants are  best  lodged,  Philadelphia  is  the  finest  town 
in  the  world.  It  lodges  a  much  smaller  population  than 
that  of  New  York  in  more  houses.  In  no  other  large 
town  are  rents  comparatively  so  cheap.  Every  decent 
workingman  can  afford  to  have  his  separate  house,  with 
gas  and  water  laid  on,  and  fitted  with  a  bath. 

We  have  been  making  a  study  of  the  negro  waiters. 
Perhaps  cold  weather  affects  them;  but  the  first  thing 
about  them  that  strikes  you  is  the  apathetic  infantine 
feeble-minded ness  of  the  "colored  persons"  lately  called 
niggers.  I  say  nothing  of  the  seven  colored  persons,  of 
various  shades,  who  always  sit  in  a  row  on  a  bench  in  the 
hall,  each  with  a  little  clothes-brush  in  his  hand,  and  never 
attempt  to  do  anything;  I  allude  to  those  who  minister  to 


Latham]    FROM  NEW  YORK  TO  WASHINGTON,  1866.        41 

my  wants  in  the  coffee-room  with  utterly  unknown  dishes. 
I  breakfasted  yesterday  off  dunfish  and  cream,  Indian 
pudding,  and  dipped  toast ;  for  dinner  I  had  a  baked  black- 
fish  with  soho  sauce,  and  stewed  venison  with  port  wine ; 
for  vegetables,  marrow,  squash,  and  stewed  tomatoes;  and 
for  pudding,  "  floating  island." 

You  see  there  is  something  exciting  about  dinner.  After 
you  have  ordered  four  courses  of  the  unknown,  and  your 
colored  person  has  gone  in  the  direction  of  the  kitchen 
you  sit  with  the  mouth  of  expectation  wide  open.  Some- 
times you  get  grossly  deceived.     Yesterday  F ordered 

"  jole,"  and  was  sitting  in  a  state  of  placid  doubt,  when  his 
colored  person  returned  with  a  plate  of  pickled  pork.  At 
present  I  am  quite  of  the  opinion  of  the  wise  man  who 
discovered  that  colored  persons  are  born  and  grow  in  ex- 
actly the  same  way  as  uncolored  persons  up  to  the  age  of 
thirteen,  and  that  they  then  cease  to  develop  their  skulls 
and  their  intelligence.  All  the  waiters  in  this  hotel  appear 
to  be  just  about  the  age  of  thirteen.  There  are  two  who 
in  wisdom  are  nearly  twelve,  and  one  gray-headed  old 
fellow  who  is  just  over  fourteen. 

[Our  traveller  contented  himself  in  the  way  of  sight-seeing  by  fol- 
lowing Charles  Dickens's  path  to  the  Penitentiary,  and  afterwards 
visited  Girard  College.     He  concludes  as  follows  :] 

Even  in  this  city  of  Penn  the  distinctive  marks  of 
Quakerism  are  dying  out.  The  Quaker  dress  does  not  seem 
much  more  common  in  Philadelphia  than  in  any  other 
city,  nor  do  they  use  the  "thee"  and  "thou"  in  the  streets; 
but  at  their  own  firesides,  where  the  old  people  sit,  they 
still  speak  the  old  language.  A  Quaker  in  the  streets  is 
not  to  be  distinguished  from  other  Philadelphians.  I  was 
talking  to  Mr.  C about  this,  and  he  said,  "Let  me  in- 
troduce you  to  a  Quaker ;  I  am  a  member  of  the  church 

4* 


42  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Latham 

myself."     L was  not  quite  clear  whether  he  was  a 

Quaker  or  not.  His  parents  had  been  ;  his  sons  certainly 
were  not.  Some  of  the  best  of  the  Southern  soldiers  came 
from  the  city  of  the  Quakers.  There  is  a  story  of  a  Quaker 
girl,  who  was  exchanging  rings  with  her  lover  as  he  set 
off  to  join  the  army ;  when  they  parted  she  said,  "  Thee 
must  not  wear  it  on  thy  trigger-finger,  George." 

Dined  with  Mr.  L ,  the  publisher.     He  showed  us 

over  his  enormous  store,  which  seemed  to  be  a  model  of 
discipline  and  organization,  and  described  the  book-market 
of  America  as  being,  like  the  Union,  one  and  indivisible, 
and  opened  his  ledger,  in  which  were  the  names  of  cus- 
tomers in  every  State  in  the  Union.  He  told  us  that  he 
had  about  five  thousand  open  accounts  with  different 
American  booksellers.  His  policy  is  to  keep  in  stock 
everything  that  a  country  bookseller  requires,  from  a  Bible 
to  a  stick  of  sealing-wax,  so  that  when  their  stores  get  low 
they  are  able  to  write  to  him  for  everything  they  want. 
He  contends,  as  other  Philadelphians  do,  that  New  York  is 
not  the  capital  of  America,  but  only  its  chief  port  of  im- 
port, and  that  Philadelphia  is  the  chief  centre  for  distribu- 
tion. Mr.  Hep  worth  Dixon  had  been  here  not  long  before, 
and,  as  was  right  and  fitting  in  the  city  of  Quakers,  a  high 
banquet  had  been  held  in  honor  of  the  vindicator  of  William 
Penn. 

[Thence  Mr.  Latham  went  to  Baltimore,  of  which  he  describes  the 
following  old-time  experience  :  "  When  an  American  train  reaches 
a  town  it  does  not  dream  of  pulling  up  short  in  a  suburb,  but  advances 
slowly  through  the  streets  ;  the  driver  on  the  engine  rings  a  large  bell, 
and  a  man  on  horseback  rides  in  front  to  clear  the  way.  Thus  we 
entered  Baltimore,  arrived  at  the  terminus  and  uncoupled  the  engine  ; 
and  then,  still  sitting  in  the  railway-car,  were  drawn  by  a  team  of 
horses  along  the  street-rails  to  the  terminus  of  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio 
Kailway  on  the  other  side  of  the  town. "  lie  is  talking  of  antediluvian 
days.     We  have  reformed  all  that.     After  some  experience  in  duck 


Latham]    FROM  NEW  YORK  TO  WASHINGTON,  1866.       43 

and  partridge  shooting,  and  a  taste  of  terrapin  soup,  he  proceeded  to 
Washington.  Of  his  varied  experience  there  we  can  give  but  a  single 
out-door  example.] 

We  went  this  morning  over  the  Capitol,  an  enormous 
edifice  still  in  progress,  parts  of  it  are  continually  built  on 
to,  and  rebuilt,  to  meet  the  wants  of  the  legislature.  The 
two  new  white  marble  wings  are  very  beautiful  and  nearly 
complete,  and  the  dome  is  on  the  same  scale  with  them, 
and  of  the  same  material.  The  centre  is  now  out  of  pro- 
portion since  the  wings  were  built,  and  is  of  stone,  painted 
white  to  match  the  rest  in  color  and  preserve  it  from  the 
frost.  If  the  South  had  succeeded  in  seceding  it  might 
have  sufficed ;  but  now  it  is  bound  to  grow,  and  Congress 
are  going  to  vote  the  amount  of  dollars  necessary  to  make 
the  Capitol  complete.  When  completed  it  will  be  magnifi- 
cent. 

We  are  very  unlucky  in  seeing  these  great  marble  palaces 
(for  several  of  the  public  buildings  of  Washington  are  of 
this  material)  with  the  snow  upon  the  ground.  Against 
the  pure  white  snow  they  appear  dingy ;  under  a  summer 
sun  they  must  show  to  far  greater  advantage.  What 
ancient  Athens  appeared  like,  surrounding  its  marble 
temples,  I  can  hardly  realize ;  but  the  effect  of  the  splen- 
did public  buildings  in  Washington  is  very  much  detracted 
from  by  the  sheds  and  shanties  which  are  near  them.  The 
builders  of  Washington  determined  that  it  should  be  a 
great  city,  and  staked  out  its  streets  accordingly  twice  the 
width  and  length  of  any  other  streets:  rightly  is  it  named 
the  city  of  magnificent  distances.  But  although  the 
Potomac  is  certainly  wide  enough,  and  apparently  deep 
enough  to  justify  a  certain  amount  of  trade,  and  its  situa- 
tion is  more  central  than  that  of  Philadelphia,  the  town 
has  never  grown  to  fill  the  outlines  traced  for  it. 

To  make  a  Washington  street,  take  one  marble  temple  or 


44  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Latham 

public  office,  a  dozen  good  houses  of  brick,  and  a  dozen  of 
wood,  and  fill  in  with  sheds  and  fields.  Some  blight  seems 
to  have  fallen  upon  the  city.  It  is  the  only  place  we  have 
seen  which  is  not  full  of  growth  and  vitality.  I  have  even 
heard  its  inhabitants  tell  stories  of  nightly  pig-hunts  in  the 
streets,  and  of  the  danger  of  tumbling  over  a  cow  on  the 
pavement  on  a  dark  night ;  but  this  must  refer  to  by -gone 
times. 

One  of  the  most  curious  and  characteristic  of  the  great 
public  buildings  of  Washington  is  the  Patent  Office,  in 
which  a  working  model  is  deposited  of  every  patent  taken 
out  in  the  United  States  for  the  improvement  of  machinery. 

This  assemblage  of  specimens  is  an  exhibition  of  which 
all  Americans  are  proud,  as  a  proof  of  the  activity  of 
American  ingenuity  working  in  every  direction.  Capacity 
to  take  out  a  patent  is  a  quality  necessary  to  make  up  tho 
character  of  the  perfect  citizen.  Labor  is  honorable,  but  the 
man  who  can  invent  a  labor-saving  machine  is  more  honor- 
able ;  he  has  gained  a  step  in  the  great  struggle  with  the 
powers  of  nature.  An  American  who  has  utilized  a  water- 
power  feels,  I  take  it,  two  distinct  and  separate  pleasures : 
first,  in  that  dollars  and  cents  drip  off  his  water-wheel,  and, 
secondly,  in  that  he  has  inveigled  the  water-sprites  into 
doing  his  work.  If  you  tell  an  American  that  you  are 
going  to  Washington,  his  first  remark  is  not,  "  Then  you 
will  see  Congress  sitting,"  but,  "Mind  you  go  and  see 
the  Patent  Office." 


***"'-Vfc 


NATURAL    BRIDGE,  VIRGINIA. 


Pollard]     THE  NATURAL  BRIDGE  AND   TUNNEL.       45 


THE  NATURAL  BRIDGE  AND  TUNNEL  OF  VIRGINIA. 

EDWARD   A.    POLLARD. 

[The  Old  Dominion— to  give  Virginia  its  home  title— is  full  of 
natural  wonders,  some  of  them  unsurpassed  in  beauty  and  attractive- 
ness elsewhere  in  the  world.  In  number  and  variety  of  mineral 
springs  it  stands  unequalled;  its  caverns,  Luray  and  Weyer's,  are 
rich  in  charms  of  subterranean  scenery ;  and  its  two  remarkable  ex- 
amples of  nature's  grandeur,  the  Natural  Bridge  and  Natural  Tunnel, 
are  unique  in  their  peculiar  characteristics.  Edward  A.  Pollard,  in 
his  "Virginia  Tourist,"  has  ably  described  the  various  attractions  of 
the  Old  Dominion,  and  we  select  from  this  work  his  word  picture  of 
the  Natural  Bridge.  He  made  his  way  thither  from  Lynchburg,  via 
the  James  River  Canal.] 

As  the  traveller  enters  the  gap  of  the  Blue  Eidge  from 
the  east,  the  winding  courses  of  the  stage-coach  carry  him 
up  the  mountain's  side  until  he  has  gained  an  elevation  of 
hundreds  of  feet  above  the  James  Eiver,  over  the  waters 
of  which  the  zigzag  and  rotten  road  hangs  fearfully.  On 
every  side  are  gigantic  mountains  hemming  him  in  ;  there 
are  black  ravines  in  the  great  prison-house ;  and  the  length- 
ened arms  of  the  winds  smite  the  strained  ear  with  the 
sounds  of  the  rapids  below.  While  he  looks  at  the  dis- 
tance, a  mountain  rivulet,  slight  and  glittering  from  amid 
the  primeval  forest,  dashes  across  his  path,  and,  leaping 
from  rock  to  rock,  goes  joyously  on  its  way. 

On  the  North  River  the  scenes  are  quieter.  Emerging 
here,  the  traveller  sees  a  beautiful  and  fertile  country 
opening  before  him,  while  still  westward  the  blue  outlines 
of  distant  mountains  in  Rockbridge  bound  his  vision.  The 
water  landscape  is  beautiful.  Lovely  valleys  debouch 
upon  the  stream  ;  there  are  peaceful  shadows  in  the  steel- 


46  HALF-HOURS  OF   TRAVEL.  [Pollari> 

blue  waters,  and  on  the  broad  shoulders  of  the  cattle  on 
the  banks  we  see  the  drapery  of  the  shadows  of  the  trees 
beneath  which  they  rest.  The  fisherman  standing  leg-deep 
in  the  water  can  see  his  face  as  in  a  mirror. 

But  at  present  our  way  does  not  lie  through  these  scenes. 
The  canal-boat  is  taking  us  along  the  James  in  the  moon- 
lit night,  and  by  the  time  the  day  has  broken  we  are  within 
two  miles  of  the  Natural  Bridge.  A  rickety  team  awaits 
us  at  the  lock-house  where  we  disembark.  Through  an 
air  filled  with  golden  vapor,  and  with  the  mists  of  the 
morning  yet  hanging  in  the  trees  by  the  wayside,  we  pro- 
ceed on°our  journey.  The  old  stage-coach  lumbers  along 
under  the  thick,  overhanging  boughs  of  the  forest  pines, 
which  ever  and  anon  scrape  its  top  or  strike  in  through 
the  windows,  scattering  the  dew-drops  in  the  very  faces  of 
the  passengers,  or  perhaps  smiting  their  cheeks  with  their 
sharp-pointed  leaves. 

The  first  view  of  the  bridge  is  obtained  half  a  mile  from 
it  at  a  turn  on  the  stage-road.     It  is  revealed  with  the  sud- 
denness of  an  apparition.     Eaised  a  hundred  feet  above  the 
highest  trees  of  the  forest,  and  relieved  against  the  purple 
side  of  a  distant  mountain,  a  whitish-gray  arch  is  seen,  in 
the  effect  of  distance  as  perfect  and  clean-cut  an  arch  as 
its  Egyptian  inventor  could  have  defined.     The  tops  of 
trees  'are  waving  in  the  interval,  the  upper  half  of  which 
we  only  see,  and  the  stupendous  arch  that  spans  the  upper 
air  is  relieved  from  the  first  impression  that  it  is  man's 
masonry,  the  work  of  art,  by  the  fifteen  or  twenty  feet  of 
soil  that  it  supports,  in  which  trees  and  shrubbery  are  firmly 
embedded,— the  verdant  crown  and  testimony  of  nature's 
great  work.     And  here  we  are  divested  of  an  imagination 
which  we  believe  is  popular,  that  the  bridge  is  merely  a 
huge  slab  of  rock  thrown  across  a  chasm,  or  some  such 
hasty  and  violent  arrangement.     It  is  no  such  thing.     The 


Pollard]      THE  NATURAL  BRIDGE  AND   TUNNEL.        47 

arch  and  whole  interval  are  contained  in  one  solid  rock  ; 
the  average  width  of  that  which  makes  the  bridge  is  eighty 
feet,  and  beyond  this  the  rock  extends  for  a  hundred  feet  or 
so  in  mural  precipices,  divided  by  only  a  single  fissure,  that 
makes  a  natural  pier  on  the  upper  side  of  the  bridge,  and 
up  which  climb  the  hardy  firs,  ascending  step  by  step  on 
the  noble  rock- work  till  they  overshadow  you. 

This  mighty  rock,  a  single  mass  sunk  in  the  earth's  side, 
of  which  even  what  appears  is  stupendous,  is  of  the  same 
geological  character, — of  limestone  covered  to  the  depth  of 
from  four  to  six  feet  with  alluvial  and  clayey  earth.  The 
span  of  the  arch  runs  from  forty-five  to  sixty  feet  wide, 
and  its  height  to  the  under  line  is  one  hundred  and  ninety- 
six  feet,  and  to  the  head  two  hundred  and  fifteen  feet. 
The  form  of  the  arch  approaches  to  the  elliptical ;  the 
stage-road  which  passes  over  the  bridge  runs  from  north 
to  south,  with  an  acclivity  of  thirty-five  degrees,  and  the 
arch  is  carried  over  on  a  diagonal  line, — the  very  line  of 
all  others  the  most  difficult  for  the  architect  to  realize, 
and  the  one  best  calculated  fur  picturesque  effects.  It  is 
the  proportions  of  art  in  this  wild,  strange  work  of  nature, 
its  adjustment  in  the  very  perfection  of  mechanical  skill, 
its  apparently  deliberate  purpose,  that  create  an  interest 
the  most  curious  and  thoughtful.  The  deep  ravine  over 
which  it  sweeps,  and  through  which  traverses  the  beautiful 
Cedar  Creek,  is  not  otherwise  easily  passed  for  several 
miles,  either  above  or  below  the  bridge.  It  is  needful  to 
the  spot,  and  yet  so  little  likely  to  have  survived  the  great 
fracture,  the  evidences  of  which  are  visible  around,  and 
which  has  made  a  fissure  of  about  ninety  feet  through  the 
breadth  of  a  rock-ribbed  hill,  that  we  are  at  first  disposed 
to  reflect  upon  it  as  the  work  of  man.  It  is  only  when 
we  contemplate  its  full  measure  of  grandeur  that  we  are 
assured  it  is  the  work  of  God.     We  have  the  pier,  the  arch, 


48  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Poixakd 

the  studied  angle  of  ascent;  and  that  nothing  might  be 
wanted  in  the  evidences  of  design,  the  bridge  is  guarded 
by  a  parapet  of  rocks,  so  covered  with  fine  shrubs  and 
trees  that  a  person  travelling  the  stage-road  running  over 
it  would,  if  not  informed  of  the  curiosity,  pass  it  unnoticed. 
But  let  him  approach  through  the  foliage  to  the  side. 
More  than  two  hundred  feet  below  is  the  creek,  apparently 
motionless,  except  where  it  flashes  with  light  as  it  breaks 
on  an  obstruction  in  the  channel ;  there  are  trees,  attain- 
ing to  grander  heights  as  they  ascend  the  face  of  the  pier ; 
and  far  below  this  bed  of  verdure  the  majestic  rock  rises 
with  the  decision  of  a  wall,  and  the  spectator  shrinks  from 
contemplating  the  grand  but  cruel  depths,  and  turns  away 
with  dizzy  sensations.    But  the  most  effective  view  is  from 
the  base  of  the  bridge,  where  you  descend  by  a  circuitous 
and  romantic  path.     Even  to  escape  from  the  hot  sun  into 
these  verdant  and  cool  bottoms  is  of  itself  a  luxury,  and  it 
prepares  you  for  the  deliberate  enjoyment  of  the  scene. 
Everything  reposes  in  the  most  delightful  shade,  set  off  by 
the  streaming  rays  of  the  sun,  which  shoot  across  the 
head  of  the  picture  far  above  you,  and  sweeten  with  softer 
touches  the  solitude  below. 

Standing  by  the  rippling,  gushing  waters  of  the  creek, 
and  raising  your  eyes  to  the  arch,  massive  and  yet  light 
and  beautiful  from  its  height,  its  elevation  apparently  in- 
creased by  the  narrowness  of  its  piers  and  by  its  projection 
on  the  blue  sky,  you  gaze  off  the  great  work  of  nature  in 
wonder  and  astonishment.  Yet  a  hundred  beauties  beckon 
you  from  the  severe  emotion  of  the  sublime.  When  you 
have  sustained  this  view  of  the  arch  raised  against  the  sky, 
its  black  patches  here  and  there  shaped  by  imagination 
into  grand  and  weird  figures,— among  them  the  eagle,  the 
lion's  head,  and  the  heroic  countenance  of  Washington ; 
when  you  have  taken  in  the  proportions  and  circumstances 


Pollard]      THE  NATURAL  BRIDGE  AND   TUNNEL.        49 

of  this  elevated  and  wide  span  of  rock, — so  wide  that  the 
skies  seem  to  slope  from  it  to  the  horizon, — you  are  called 
to  investigate  other  parts  of  the  scene  which  strain  the 
emotions  less,  and  are  distributed  around  in  almost  endless 
variety. 

Looking  through  the  arch,  the  eye  is  engaged  with  a 
various  vista.  Just  beyond  rises  the  frayed,  unseamed 
wall  of  rock  ;  the  purple  mountains  stand  out  in  the  back- 
ground ;  beneath  them  is  a  rank  of  hills  and  matted  woods 
enclosing  the  dell  below,  while  the  creek  coursing  away 
from  them  appears  to  have  been  fed  in  their  recesses.  A 
lew  feet  above  the  bridge  the  stream  deflects,  and  invites 
to  a  point  of  view  of  the  most  curious  effect.  Taking 
a  few  steps  backward,  moving  diagonally  on  the  course  of 
the  stream,  we  see  the  interval  of  sky  between  the  great 
abutments  gradually  shut  out ;  thus  apparently  joined  or 
lapped  over,  they  give  the  effect  of  the  face  of  a  rock, 
with  a  straight  seam  running  down  it,  and  the  imagination 
seizes  the  picture  as  of  mighty  gates  closed  upon  us.  We 
are  shut  in  a  wild  and  perturbed  scene  by  these  gates  of 
hell;  behind  and  around  us  is  the  contracted  and  high 
boundary  of  mountains  and  hills,  and  in  this  close  and 
vexed  scene  we  are  for  a  moment  prisoners. 

Now  let  us  move  across,  step  by  step,  to  a  position  front- 
ing where  these  gates  apparently  close.  Slowly  they  seem 
to  swing  open  on  unseen  and  noiseless  hinges ;  wider  and 
wider  grows  the  happy  interval  of  sky,  until  at  last  wide 
open  stands  the  gate-way  raised  above  the  forest,  resting  as 
it  were  on  the  brow  of  heaven, — a  world  lying  beyond  it, 
its  rivers  and  its  hills  expanding  themselves  to  the  light 
and  splendor  of  the  unshadowed  day. 

To  an  observer  of  both  places  a  comparison  is  naturally 
suggested  between  the  Natural  Bridge  and  Niagara  Falls 
in  respect  of  the  sublime  and  the  beautiful;  and,  indeed, 
i. —  c       d  5 


50  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Pollard 

as  in  this  respect  the  two  greatest  works  of  nature  on  this 
continent,  they  may  well  be  used  as  illustrations  in  our 
American  schools  of  esthetics.     The  first  is  unique  in  its 
aspects  of  nature  like  art;  it  is  nature  with  the  propor- 
tions of  art.    In  its  expressions  of  power,  in  its  concentra- 
tion of  emotion,  as  when  we  look  at  it  distinct  or  complete, 
it  is  truly  sublime;  and  its  effect  is  alleviated  (for  it  is  a 
maxim  in  {esthetics  that  the  sublime  cannot  be  long  sus- 
tained) by  the  picturesque  scenery  which  surrounds  it.     It 
is  a  greater  natural  curiosity  and  more  wonderful  than 
Niagara,  although  it  lacks  the  elements  of  sublimity  which 
the  other  has  in  sound,  and  of  the  visible,  actual  struggle 
in  which  it  displays  the  powers  of  nature.     Niagara  is  a 
living  thing,  while  the  Natural  Bridge  is  monumental.    The 
first  represents  the  sublime  as  allied  to  the  terrific,-in  con- 
templating it  we  are  overwhelmed  with  a  sense  of  our  in- 
significance ;  while  the  Natural  Bridge  associates  the  sub- 
lime with  the  pleasing  and  curious,  and,  not  transporting 
us  as  violently  as  Niagara,  entertains  us  more  equably,  and 
dismisses  us,  we  think,  with  more  distinct  and  fruitful  per- 
ceptions of  the  grandeur  and  beneficence  and  variety  of 
nature  which  have  been  distributed  in  the  picture. 

[Washington,  a  century  and  a  half  ago,  carved  his  name  at  a  high 
elevation  on  the  rock  walls  of  the  ahyss.  In  1818 Jjhese  walls  were 
climbed  to  the  top  by  James  H.  Piper,  a  student  of  Washington  Col- 
lege, Virginia.  The  narrative  here  given  of  this  danng  feat  is  from 
the  pen  of  William  A.  Caruthers.] 

Mr  Piper,  the  hero  of  the  occasion,  commenced  climbing 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  creek  from  the  one  by  which 
the  pathway  ascends  the  ravine.  He  began  down  on  the 
banks  of  the  brook  so  far  that  we  did  not  know  where  he 
had  gone,  and  were  only  apprised  of  his  whereabouts  by 
his  shouting  above  our  heads.     When  we  looked  up,  he  was 


Pollard]     THE  NATURAL  BRIDGE  AND    TUNNEL.        51 

standing  apparently  right  under  the  arch,  I  suppose  a  hun- 
dred feet  from  the  bottom,  and  that  on  the  smooth  side, 
which  is  generally  considered  inaccessible  without  a  ladder. 
He  was  standing  far  above  the  spot  where  General  Wash- 
ington is  said  to  have  inscribed  his  name  when  a  youth. 
Tbe  ledge  of  the  rock  by  which  he  ascended  to  this  peril- 
ous height  does  not  appear  from  below  to  be  three  inches 
wide,  and  runs  almost  at  right  angles  to  the  abutment  of 
the  bridge.  .  .  . 

The  ledge  of  rock  on  which  he  was  standing  appeared  so 
narrow  to  us  below  as  to  make  us  believe  his  position  a 
very  perilous  one,  and  we  earnestly  entreated  him  to  come 
down.     He  answered  us  with  loud  shouts  of  derision.  .  .  . 

He  soon  after  descended  from  that  side,  crossed  the 
brook,  and  commenced  climbing  on  the  side  by  which  all 
visitors  ascend  the  ravine.  He  first  mounted  the  rocks  on 
this  side,  as  he  had  done  on  the  other,  far  down  the 
abutment,  but  not  so  far  as  on  the  opposite  side.  The  pro- 
jecting ledge  may  be  distinctly  seen  by  any  visitor.  It 
commences  four  or  five  feet  from  the  pathway  on  the  lower 
side,  and  winds  round,  gradually  ascending,  until  it  meets 
the  cleft  of  rock  over  which  the  celebrated  cedar  stump 
hangs.  Following  this  ledge  to  its  termination,  it  brought 
him  thirty  or  forty  feet  from  the  ground,  and  placed  him 
between  two  deep  fissures,  one  on  each  side  of  the  gigantic 
column  of  rock  on  which  the  aforementioned  cedar  stump 
stands. 

This  column  stands  out  from  the  bridge,  as  separate  and 
distinct  as  if  placed  there  by  nature  on  purpose  for  an  ob- 
servatory to  the  wonderful  arch  and  ravine  which  it  over- 
looks. A  huge  crack  or  fissure  extends  from  its  base  to  the 
summit ;  indeed,  it  is  cracked  on  both  sides,  but  much  more 
perceptibly  on  one  side  than  the  other.  Both  of  these 
fissures  are  thickly  overgrown  with  bushes,  and  numerous 


52 


HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Pollard 

roots  project  into  them  from  trees  growing  on  the  precipice. 
It  was  between  these  that  the  aforementioned  ledge  con- 
ducted him.    Here  he  stopped,  pulled  off  his  coat  and  shoes 
and  threw  them  down  to  me.     And  this,  in  my  opinion,  is 
a  sufficient  refutation  of  the  story  so  often  told,  that  he 
went  up  to  inscribe  his  name,  and  ascended  so  high  that  he 
found  it  more  difficult  to  return  than  to  go  forward.     He 
could  have  returned  easily  from  the  point  where  he  disen- 
cumbered himself,  but  the  fact  that  he  did  thus  prepare  so 
early,  and  so  near  the  ground,  and  after  he  had  ascended 
more  than  double  that  height  on  the  other  side,  is  clear 
proof  that  to  inscribe  his  name  was  not,  and  to  climb  the 
bridge  was,  his  object.    He  had  already  inscribed  his  name 
above  Washington  himself  more  than  fifty  feet. 

Around  the  face  of  this  huge  column,  and  between  the 
clefts,  he  now  moved  backward  and  forward,  still  ascending 
as  he  found  convenient  foothold.     When  he  had  ascended 
about  one  hundred  and  seventy  feet  from  the  earth,  and 
had  reached   the  point  where  the  pillar  overhangs   the 
ravine,  his  heart  seemed  to  fail  him.     He  stopped,  and 
seemed  to  us  to  be  balancing  midway  between  heaven  and 
earth.     We  were  in  dread  suspense,  expecting  every  mo- 
ment to  see  him  dashed  in  atoms  at  our  feet.     We  had 
already  exhausted  our  powers  of  entreaty  in  persuading 
him  to  return,  but  all  to  no  purpose.     Now  it  was  perilous 
even  to  speak  to  him,  and  very  difficult  to  carry  on  con- 
versation at  all,  from  the  immense  height  to  which  he  had 
ascended,  and  the  noise  made  by  the  bubbling  of  the  little 
brook  as  it  tumbled  in  tiny  cascades  over  its  rocky  bed  at 
our  feet     At  length  he  seemed  to  discover  that  one  of  the 
clefts  before  mentioned  retreated  backward  from  the  over- 
hanging position  of  the  pillar.      Into  this  he  sprang  at 
once  and  was  soon  out  of  sight  and  out  of  danger. 

There  is  not  a  word  of  truth  in  all  that  story  about  our 


Pollard]      THE  NATURAL  BRIDGE  AND   TUNNEL.        53 

hauling  him  up  with  ropes,  and  his  fainting  away  so  soon 
as  he  landed  on  the  summit.  Those  acquainted  with  the 
localities  will  at  once  perceive  its  absurdity;  for  we  were 
beneath  the  arch,  and  it  is  half  a  mile  round  to  the  top, 
and  for  the  most  part  up  a  ragged  mountain.  Instead  of 
fainting  away,  Mr.  Piper  proceeded  down  the  hill  to  meet 
us  and  obtain  his  hat  and  shoes.  We  met  about  half-way, 
and  then  he  lay  down  for  a  few  moments  to  recover  him- 
self of  hi3  fatigue. 

[Virginia  possesses  another  marvel  of  nature's  handiwork  of  the 
same  general  character  as  the  Natural  Bridge,  and  of  which  Mr.  Pol- 
lard's description  may  here  fitly  be  given.] 

After  progressing  about  three  miles  from  the  ford  of  the 
Clinch  Eiver,  and  after  having  repeatedly  crossed  its 
crooked  tributary,  Stock  Creek,  we  come  to  a  small  moun- 
tain or  globular  hill  which  is  our  wondrous  destination,  for 
here  is  the  Natural  Tunnel.  There  is  nothing  which  ad- 
vertises in  advance  this  great  wonder,  or  in  any  way 
excites  the  expectations  of  the  traveller.  There  is  a 
common  road,  from  which  we  depart  a  few  hundred  yards 
to  make  a  half  circuit  of  the  base  of  the  mountain,  that 
goes  clean  over  the  ridge,  leading  to  a  settlement  some 
miles  farther,  called  Eye  Cove,  and  which  was  once  the 
abode  of  a  fierce  Indian  tribe.  This  main  road  goes  over 
the  arch  of  the  tunnel,  furnishing  a  curious  convenience 
to  the  traveller,  of  which  he  would  be  unaware,  seeing 
nothing  through  the  foliage  but  glimpses  of  the  mural 
rocks  that  guard  and  sustain  the  termination  of  the  secret 
passage-way  many  hundred  feet  below  him.  It  is  from 
this  convenience  that  the  neighboring  people  name  the 
gigantic  work  of  nature  we  are  proceeding  to  explore  a 
natural  bridge.  But  this  name  is  certainly  insufficient  and 
paltry  for  a  rock- work  that  on  one  flank  at  least  extends 

"   '  6* 


54  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Pollard 

some  eight  hundred  feet,  and  which  if  regarded  with  refer- 
ence to  the  breadth  of  the  interval  it  spans,  is,  in  fact,  a 
complication  of  bridges,  arranged,  as  we  shall  presently 
see,  in  one  single  massive  spectacle. 

The  western  face  of  the  tunnel,  near  which  we  dismount, 
continues  partly  concealed  from  view,  or  is  imperfectly  ex- 
posed  until   we    nearly   approach    it,  the   immense  rock 
which   is  perforated  being  here  dressed  with  the   thick 
foliage  of  the  spruce-pine,  and  the  harsh  surface  adorned 
with  a  beautiful  tracery  of  vines  and  creepers.     At  last  is 
seen  the  entrance  of  what  appears  to  be  a  huge  subter- 
raneous cavern  or  grotto,  into  which  the  stream  disappears  ; 
a  towering   rock    rising   here   about    two   hundred    feet 
above  the   surface   of  the   stream,  and  a  rude   entrance 
gouged  into  it,  varying  in  width,  as  far  as  the  eye  can 
reach,  from  one  hundred  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  and 
rising  in  a  clear  vault  from  seventy  to  eighty  feet  above 
the  floor.     The  view  here  terminates  in  the  very  blackness 
of  darkness;  it  is  broken  on  the  first  curve  of  the  tunnel. 
The  bed  of  the  stream,  from  which  the  water  has  dis- 
appeared on  account  of  the  drouth,  the  reduced  currents 
sinking  to  lower  subterranean  channels,  is  piled  with  great 
irregular  rocks,  on  the  sharp  points  of  which  we  stumble 
and  cut  our  hands:  there  is  no  foothold  but  on  rocks,  and 
it  is  only  when  we  have  struggled  through  the  awful,  cruel 
darkness,  holding  up  some  feeble  lights  in  it,  and  issued 
into  the  broad  sunshine,  that  we  find  we  have  travelled 
nearly  two  hundred  yards  (or  say,  more  exactly,  five  hun- 
dred feet)  through  one  solid  rock,  in  which  there  is  not  an 
inch  of  soil,  not  a  seam,  not  a  cleft,  and  which,  even  beyond 
the  debouchure  of  the  tunnel,  yet  runs  away  a  hundred 
yards  in  a  wall  five  hundred  feet  high,  as  clean  and  whetted 
as  the  work  of  the  mason. 

But  we  must  not  anticipate  this  majestical  scene,  "won- 


Pollard]     THE  NATURAL  BRIDGE  AND   TUNNEL.        55 

derful  beyond  all  wondrous  measure."  Happily,  in  enter- 
ing the  tunnel  from  the  western  side  we  have  adopted  the 
course  of  exploration  which  affords  a  gradual  ascent  of 
the  emotions,  until  at  last  they  tower  to  the  standard  of 
a  perfect  sublimity.  The  course  of  the  tunnel  may  be 
described  as  a  continuous  curve:  it  resembles,  indeed,  a 
prostrate  v>.  For  a  distance  of  twenty  yards  midway  of 
this  course  we  are  excluded  from  a  view  of  either  entrance, 
and  the  darkness  is  about  that  of  a  night  with  one  quarter 
of  the  moon.  The  vault  becomes  lower  here — in  some 
places  scarcely  more  than  thirty  feet  high— and  springs 
immediately  from  the  floor.  The  situation  is  awful  and 
oppressive :  the  voice  sounds  unnatural,  and  rumbles 
strangely  and  fearfully  along  the  arch  of  stone.  "We  are 
encoffined  in  the  solid  rock :  there  is  a  strange  pang  in  the 
beating  heart  in  its  imprisonment,  so  impenetrable,  black, 
hopeless,  and  we  hurry  to  meet  the  light  of  day.  In  that 
light  we  are  disentombed :  we  cast  off  the  confinements  of 
the  black  space  through  which  we  have  passed,  and  we  are 
instantly  introduced  to  a  scene  so  luminous  and  majestic 
that  in  a  moment  our  trembling  eyes  are  captivated  and 
our  hearts  lifted  in  unutterable  worsbip  of  the  Creator's 
works. 

It  is  that  sheer  wall  of  rock  which  we  have  already 
mentioned,  where  the  arch  and  other  side  of  the  tunnel 
break  away  into  the  mountain  slope;  a  high  wall,  slightly 
impending  ;  an  amphitheatre,  extending  one  hundred  yards, 
of  awful  precipices;  a  clean  battlement,  without  a  joint  in 
it,  five  hundred  feet  high.  And  this  splendid  height  and 
breadth  of  stone,  that  a  thousand  storms  have  polished, 
leaving  not  a  cleft  of  soil  in  it, — this  huge,  unjoin  ted 
masonry  raised  against  the  sky,  gray  and  weather-stained, 
with  glittering  patches  of  light  on  it, — is  yet  part  of  the 
same  huge  rock  which  towered  at  the  farther  end  of  the 


56  HALF-HOURS   OF  TRAVEL.  [Pollard 

tunnel,  and  through  whose  seamless  cavity  we  have 
travelled  two  hundred  yards.  It  is  in  this  view  that  the 
mystery  of  the  scene  seizes  the  mind,  and  the  last  element 
of  sublimity  is  added  to  it.  It  is  in  this  view  that  the 
Natural  Tunnel  we  had  come  to  see  as  a  mere  "  curiosity" 
takes  rank  among  the  greatest  wonders  of  the  world. 
What  power,  what  possible  imaginable  agency  of  nature, 
could  have  worked  out  this  stupendous  scene?  ...  I 

Turning  our  eyes  away  from  the  battlement  of  rock  to 
the  opposite  side  of  the  ravine,  a  new  revelation  of  the 
grand  and  picturesque  awaits  us.     Here  a  gigantic  cliff,  but 
one  broken  with  rock  and  soil,  and  threaded  to  its  summit 
by  a  sapling  growth  of  the  buckeye,  the  linden,  and  the 
pine,  rises  almost  perpendicularly  from  the  water's  edge  to 
a  height  almost  equal  to  that  of  the  opposite  wall  of  rock. 
A  natural  platform  is  seen  to  project  over  it,  and  yet  a  few 
yards  farther  there  is  an  insulated  cliff,  a  Cyclopean  chim- 
ney, so  to  speak,  scarcely  more  than  a  foot  square  at  its 
top,  rising  in  the  form  of  a  turret  at  least  sixty  feet  above 
its  basement,  which  is  a  portion  of  the  imposing  cliff  we 
have  mentioned.     It  is  at  once  perceived  that  here  are  two 
points  of  view  that  will  give  us  new  and  perhaps  the  most 
imposing  aspects  of  the  scene.     To  attain  these  points, 
however,  it  is  necessary  to  make  a  circuit  of  half  a  mile ; 
and  the   sinking   sun   admonishes  us  to  defer   this   new 
interest  of  the  scene  until  to-morrow.  .  .  . 

We  remounted  for  the  tunnel  in  the  early  morning,  and 
were  soon  to  find  that  the  rising  sun  was  to  give  a  new  and 
unexpected  glory  to  the  scene.  This  time  we  ascend  the 
mountain  instead  of  deflecting  as  before.  The  road  is  easy  ; 
there  are  no  difficulties  of  access  to  the  points  of  view  from 
the  top  of  the  tunnel,  and  they  are  undoubtedly  the  grandest. 
We  pass  to  the  platform  before  described  by  a  few  steps  from 
the  main  road.     It  is  a  slab  of  rock  projecting  from  an 


Pollard]     THE  NATURAL  BRIDGE  AND   TUNNEL.        57 

open  patch  of  ground ;  a  dead  ceclar-tree  is  standing  at  its 
edge,  throwing  its  gnarled  and  twisted  arms,  as  in  wild 
and  widowed  sorrow,  over  the  awful  scene  below.  We 
now  see  the  great  opposite  amphitheatre  of  rock  in  added 
grandeur,  for  we  see  it  from  above, — we  see  it  across  a 
chasm  nine  hundred  feet  wide  and  five  hundred  feet  deep, 
and  the  exposure  being  almost  exactly  eastern,  the  long 
spears  of  the  rising  sun  are  being  shattered  on  it.  The 
effect  is  inexpressibly  grand.  But  there  is  one  more  cir- 
cumstance to  be  added  to  the  scene ;  we  do  not  see  from 
this  observatory  the  arch,  the  entrance  of  the  tunnel.  A 
few  yards  farther  the  fearful  chimney-shaped  rock  invites 
to  a  more  commanding  view,  but  the  ascent  is  dangerous; 
the  stone  on  top  is  loose,  and  so  narrow  that  two  persons 
can  scarcely  stand  on  it.  A  single  misstep,  a  moment's 
loss  of  balance,  and  we  would  fall  into  eternity.  But  now 
the  sense  of  peril  is  lost,  or  is  rather  mingled,  in  the  gran- 
deur of  the  scene.  It  is  a  panoramic  view.  We  have  now 
the  whole  sweep  of  the  mural  precipice  opposite  ;  the  sun's 
glitter  is  incessant  on  the  polished  stone ;  the  trees  which 
fringe  the  bottom  appear  now  scarcely  more  than  shrubs  ; 
the  entrance  of  the  tunnel  has  now  como  into  view,  and 
that  which  yesterday  we  thought  so  high  and  wide,  now 
appears,  from  our  amazing  height,  as  a  stooped  door-way. 
We  imagine  the  gloomy  entrance  into  a  cave  of  Erebus 
and  Death,  the  broken  rocks  lying  within  which  look  like 
black  and  mangled  entrails.  It  is  a  fearful  picture, — it  is 
that  of  a  supernatural  abode. 

[This  marvel  of  nature  is  not  without  its  tradition, — one  of  Indian 
origin, — in  which  is  repeated,  with  suitable  variations,  the  familiar 
Lover's  Leap  narrative.  A  more  prosaic  and  modern  interest  attaches 
to  it,  in  its  having  been  chosen  as  the  route  of  a  railroad,  nature's  con- 
tribution of  a  passage  through  a  difficult  mountain  wall.] 


58 


HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Russell 


PLANTATION  LIFE  IN  WAR  TIMES. 

WILLIAM   HOWARD   RUSSELL. 

[Russell,  of  former  celebrity  as  war  correspondent  of  The  Times, 
visited  the  seceded  States  during  the  early  period  of  the  American 
Civil  War.  His  letters  thence,  published  later  as  "Pictures  of 
Southern  Life,"  are  full  of  graphic  descriptions  of  scenes  and  feelings 
in  the  Confederate  States  during  the  era  of  enthusiasm  and  hopeful- 
ness, before  the  war  had  borne  its  harvest  of  doubt  and  misery.  It  is 
not  our  purpose,  however,  to  give  his  experiences  in  this  special  field. 
It  is  travel,  not  war,  with  which  we  are  concerned,  and  we  confine 
ourself  to  an  account  of  a  visit  to  a  plantation  in  the  vicinity  of 
Charleston.  A  short  preliminary  sketch  of  the  ebb  and  flow  of  rumor 
in  war  times,  however,  may  be  of  interest.] 

The  rolling  fire  of  the  revolution  is  fast  sweeping  over 
the  prairie,  and  one  must  fly  before  it  or  burn.     I  am 
obliged  to  see  all  that  can  be  seen  of  the  South  at  once, 
and  then,  armed  with  such  safeguards  as  I  can  procure,  to 
make  an  effort  to  recover  my  communications.     Bridges 
broken,  rails  torn  up,  telegraphs  pulled  down,— I  am  quite 
in  the  air,  and  air  charged  with  powder  and  fire.     One  of 
the  most  extraordinary  books  in  the  world  could  be  made 
out  of  the  cuttings  and  parings  of  the  newspapers  which 
have  been  published  within  the  last  few  days.     The  judg- 
ments, statements,  asseverations  of  the  press,  everywhere 
necessarily  hasty,  ill-sifted,  and  off-hand,  do  not  aspire  to 
even  an  ephemeral  existence  here.    They  are  of  use  if  they 
serve  the  purpose  of  the  moment,  and  of  the  little  boys 
who  commence  their  childhood  in  deceit,  and  continue  to 
adolescence  in  iniquity,  by  giving  vocal  utterance  to  the 
"sensation"  headings  of  the  journals  they  retail  so  sharply 
and  so  curtly. 


Russell]     PLANTATION  LIFE  IN  WAR   TIMES.  59 

Talk  of  the  superstition  of  the  Middle  Ages,  or  of  the 
credulity  of  the  more  advanced  period  of  rural  life ;  laugh 
at  the  Holy  Coat  of  Treves,  or  groan  over  the  Lady  of 
Salette;  deplore  the  faith  in  winking  pictures,  or  in  a  com- 
munique of  the  Moniteur ;  moralize  on  the  superstition 
which  discovers  more  in  the  liquefaction  of  the  ichor  of 
St.  (xennaro  than  a  chemical  trick ;  but  if  you  desire  to 
understand  how  far  faith  can  see  and  trust  among  the 
people  who  consider  themselves  the  most  civilized  and  in- 
telligent in  the  world,  you  will  study  the  American  jour- 
nals, and  read  the  telegrams  which  appear  in  them. 

One  day  the  Seventh  New  York  Regiment  is  destroyed 
for  the  edification  of  the  South,  and  is  cut  up  into  such 
small  pieces  that  none  of  it  is  ever  seen  afterwards.  The 
next  day  it  marches  into  Washington  or  Annapolis,  all  the 
better  for  the  process.  Another,  in  order  to  encourage  the 
North,  it  is  said  that  hecatombs  of  dead  were  carried  out 
of  Fort  Moultrie,  packed  up,  for  easy  travelling,  in  boxes. 
Again,  to  irritate  both,  it  is  credibly  stated  that  Lord 
Lyons  is  going  to  interfere,  or  that  an  Anglo-French  fleet 
is  coming  to  watch  the  ports ;  and  so  on,  through  a  wild 
play  of  fancy,  inexact  in  line,  as  though  the  batteries  were 
charged  with  the  aurora  borealis  or  summer  lightning,  in- 
stead of  the  respectable,  steady,  manageable  offspring  of 
acid  and  metal.  .  .  . 

I  am  now,  however,  dealing  with  South  Carolina,  which 
has  been  the  fons  et  origo  of  the  secession  doctrines  and 
their  development  into  the  full  life  of  the  Confederate 
States.  The  whole  foundation  on  which  South  Carolina 
rests  is  cotton  and  a  certain  amount  of  rice ;  or  rather  sho 
bases  her  whole  fabric  on  the  necessity  which  exists  in 
Europe  for  those  products  of  her  soil,  believing  and  as- 
serting, as  she  does,  that  England  and  France  cannot  and 
will  not  do  without  them.     Cotton,  without  a  market,  is  so 


60  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Kxtssbll 

much  flocculent  matter  encumbering  the  ground.  Eice, 
without  demand  for  it,  is  unsalable  grain  in  store  and  on 
the  field.  Cotton  at  ten  cents  a  pound  is  boundless  pros- 
perity, empire,  and  superiority,  and  rice  and  grain  need  no 
longer  be  regarded. 

In  the  matter  of  slave  labor,  South  Carolina  argues 
pretty  much  in  this  way:  England  and  France  require 
our  products.  In  order  to  meet  their  wants  we  must  cul- 
tivate our  soil.  There  is  only  one  way  of  doing  so.  The 
white  man  cannot  live  on  our  land  at  certain  seasons  of 
the  year ;  he  cannot  work  in  the  manner  required  by  the 
crops.  He  must,  therefore,  employ  a  race  suited  to  the 
labor,  and  that  is  a  race  which  will  only  work  when  it  is 
obliged  to  do  so. 

[And  so  on  throughout  the  old  argument,  which,  fortunately,  the 
logic  of  time  has  in  great  measure  disproved.  But,  leaving  this  phase 
of  the  subject,  we  shall  accompany  our  traveller  on  a  visit  to  the  land 
of  rice  and  slave  labor.] 

Early  one  morning  I  started  in  a  steamer  to  visit  a 
plantation  in  the  Pedee  and  Macamaw  district,  in  the 
island  coast  of  the  State,  north  of  Charleston.  Passing 
Sumter,  on  which  men  are  busily  engaged,  under  the  Con- 
federate  flag,  in  making  good  damages  and  mounting  guns, 
we  put  out  a  few  miles  to  sea,  and  with  the  low  sandy 
shore,  dotted  with  soldiers  and  guard-houses  and  clumps 
of  trees,  on  our  left,  in  a  few  hours  pass  the  Santee  Eiver, 
and  enter  an  estuary  into  which  the  Pedee  and  Macamaw 
run  a  few  miles  farther  to  the  northwest. 

The  steamer  ran  alongside  a  jetty  and  pier,  which  wan 
crowded  by  men  in  uniform,  waiting  for  the  news  and  for 
supplies  of  creature-comforts.  Ladies  were  cantering  along 
the  fine  hard  beach,  and  some  gigs  and  tax-carts,  fully 
laden,  rolled  along  very  much  as  one  sees  them  at  Scar- 


Russell]     PLANTATION  LIFE  IN  WAR   TIMES.  61 

borough.  The  soldiers  on  the  pier  were  all  gentlemen  of  the 
county.  Some,  dressed  in  gray  tunics  and  yellow  facings,  in 
high  felt-hats  and  plumes  and  jack-boots,  would  have  done 
no  discredit  in  face,  figure,  and  bearing  to  the  gayest  cav- 
aliei's  who  ever  thundered  at  the  heels  of  Prince  Eupert. 
Their  horses,  full  of  Carolinian  fire  and  mettle,  stood  pick- 
eted under  the  trees  along  the  margin  of  the  beach. 
Among  these  men,  who  had  been  doing  the  duty  of  com- 
mon troopers  in  patrolling  the  sea-coast,  were  gentlemen 
possessed  of  large  estates  and  princely  fortunes ;  and  one 
who  stood  among  them  was  pointed  out  to  me  as  captain 
of  a  company,  for  whose  use  his  liberality  provided  un- 
bounded daily  libations  of  champagne,  and  the  best  luxu- 
ries which  French  ingenuity  can  safely  imprison  in  those 
well-known  caskets  with  which  Crimean  warriors  were  not 
unacquainted  at  the  close  of  the  campaign. 

They  were  eager  for  news,  which  was  shouted  out  to 
them  by  their  friends  in  the  steamer,  and  one  was  struck 
by  the  intimate  personal  cordiality  and  familiar  acquaint- 
ance which  existed  among  them.  Three  heavy  guns, 
mounted  in  an  earthwork  defended  by  palisades,  covered 
the  beach  and  the  landing-place,  and  the  garrison  was  to 
have  been  reinforced  by  a  regiment  from  Charleston, 
which,  however,  had  not  got  in  readiness  to  go  up  on 
our  steamer,  owing  to  some  little  difficulties  between  the 
volunteers,  their  officers,  and  the  quartermaster-general's 
department. 

As  the  "Nina"  approaches  the  tumble-down  wharf,  two 
or  three  citizens  advance  from  the  shade  of  shaky  sheds  to 
welcome  us,  and  a  few  country  vehicles  and  light  phaetons 
are  drawn  forth  from  the  same  shelter  to  receive  the  pas- 
sengers, while  the  negro  boys  and  girls  who  have  been 
playing  upon  the  bales  of  cotton  and  barrels  of  rice,  which 
represent  the  trade  of  the  place  on  the  wharf,  take  up 

6 


62  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Russell 

commanding  positions  for  the  better  observation  of  our 
proceedings.     There  is  an  air  of  quaint  simplicity  and  old- 
fashioned   quiet   about  Georgetown,  refreshingly  antago- 
nistic to  the  bustle  and  tumult  of  most  American  cities. 
While  waiting  for  our  vehicle  we  enjoyed  the  hospitality 
of  one  of  our  friends,  who  took  us  into  an  old-fashioned 
angular  wooden  mansion,  more  than  a  century  old,  still 
sound  in  every  timber,  and  testifying  in  its  quaint  wains- 
cotings,  and  the  rigid  framework  of  door  and  window,  to 
the  durability  of  its  cypress  timbers  and  the  preservative 
character  of  the  atmosphere.     In  early  days  it  was  the 
crack  house  of  the  old  settlement,  and  the  residence  of 
the  founder  of  the  female  branch  of  the  family  of  our  host, 
who  now  only  makes  it  his  halting-place  when  passing  to 
and  fro  between  Charleston  and  bis  plantation,  leaving  it 
the  year  round  in  charge  of  an  old  servant  and  her  grand- 
child.    Eose-trees  and  flowering  shrubs  clustered  before 
the  porch  and  filled  the  garden  in  front,  and  the  establish- 
ment gave  me  a  good  idea  of  a  London  merchant's  retreat 
about  Chelsea  a  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago. 

At  length  we  were  ready  for  our  journey,  and,  mounted 
in  two  light  covered  vehicles,  proceeded  along  the  sandy 
track,  which,  after  a  while,  led  us  to  a  deep  cut  in  the 
bosom  of  the  woods,  where  silence  was  only  broken  by  the 
cry  of  a  woodpecker,  the  boom  of  a  crane,  or  the  sharp 
challenge  of  the  jay.     For  miles  we  passed  through  the 
shadow  of  this  forest,  meeting  only  two  or  three  vehicles, 
containing  female  planterdom  on  little  excursions  of  pleas- 
ure or  business,  who  smiled  their  welcome  as  we  passed. 
Arrived  at  a  deep  chocolate-colored  stream,  called  Black 
River,  full  offish  and  alligators,  we  find  a  flat  large  enough  to 
accommodate  vehicles  and  passengers,  and  propelled  by  two 
negroes  pulling  upon  a  stretched  rope,  in  the  manner  usual 
in  the  ferry-boats  of  Switzerland,  ready  for  our  reeeption. 


Russell]     PLANTATION  LIFE  IN  WAR   TIMES.  63 

Another  drive  through  a  more  open  country,  and  we 
reach  a  fine  grove  of  pine  and  live-oak,  which  melts  away 
into  a  shrubbery,  guai'ded  by  a  rustic  gate-way,  passing 
through  which,  we  are  brought  by  a  sudden  turn  into  the 
planter's  house,  buried  in  trees,  which  dispute  with  the 
greensward  and  with  wild  flower-beds  every  yard  of  the 
space  which  lies  between  the  hall-door  and  the  waters  of 
the  Pedee ;  and  in  a  few  minutes,  as  we  gaze  over  the  ex- 
panse of  fields  just  tinged  with  green  by  the  first  life  of  the 
early  rice  crops,  marked  by  the  deep  water  cuts,  and 
bounded  by  a  fringe  of  unceasing  forest,  the  chimneys  of 
the  steamer  we  had  left  at  Georgetown  gliding  as  it  were 
through  the  fields  indicate  the  existence  of  another  navi- 
gable river  still  beyond. 

Leaving  with  regret  the  veranda  which  commanded  so 
charming  a  foreground,  we  enter  the  house,  and  are  re- 
minded by  its  low-browed,  old-fashioned  rooms,  of  the 
country  houses  yet  to  be  found  in  parts  of  Ireland  or  on 
the  Scottish  border,  with  additions,  made  by  the  luxury  and 
love  of  foreign  travel,  of  more  than  one  generation  of 
educated  Southern  planters.  Paintings  from  Italy  illustrate 
the  walls,  in  juxtaposition  with  interesting  portraits  of  early 
colonial  governors  and  their  lovely  womankind,  limned  with 
no  uncertain  hand,  and  full  of  the  vigor  of  touch  and  nat- 
uralness of  drapery  of  which  Copley  has  left  us  too  few 
exemplars;  and  one  portrait  of  Benjamin  West  claims  for 
itself  such  honor  as  his  own  pencil  can  give.  An  excel- 
lent library — filled  with  collections  of  French  and  English 
classics,  and  with  those  ponderous  editions  of  Voltaire, 
Eousseau,  the  memoires  pour  servir,  books  of  travel  and 
history  such  as  delighted  our  forefathers  in  the  last  cen- 
tury, and  many  works  of  American  and  general  history — 
affords  ample  occupation  for  a  rainy  day. 

But,  alas !  these,  and  all  things  good  which  else  the  house 


64  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Kussell 

affords,  can  be  enjoyed  but  for  a  brief  season.     Just  as 
nature  has  expanded  every  charm,  developed  every  grace, 
and  clothed  the  scene  with  all  the  beauty  of  opened  flower, 
of  ripening  grain,  and  of  mature  vegetation,  on  the  wings 
of  the  wind  the  poisoned  breath  comes,  borne  to  the  home 
of  the  white  man,  and  he  must  fly  before  it  or  perish.    The 
books  lie  unopened  on  their  shelves,  the  flower  blooms  and 
dies  unheeded,  and,  pity  'tis  true,  the  old  Madeira  garnered 
'neath  the  roof  settles  down  for  a  fresh  lease  of  life,  and 
sets  about  its  solitary  task  of  acquiring  a  finer  flavor  for 
the  infrequent  lips  of  its  banished  master  and  his  welcome 
visitors.    This  is  the  story,  at  least,  that  we  hear  on  all  sides, 
and  such  is  the  tale  repeated  to  us  beneath  the  porch,  when 
the  moon  enhances  while  softening  the  loveliness  of  the 
scene,  and  the  rich  melody  of  mocking-birds  fills  the  grove. 
Within  these  hospitable  doors  Horace  might   banquet 
better  than  he  did  with  Nasidienus,  and  drink  such  wine 
as  can  only  be  found  among  the  descendants  of  the  an- 
cestry who.  improvident  enough  in  all  else,  learnt  the  wis- 
dom  of  bottling  up  choice  old  Bual  and  Sercial  ere  the 
demon  of  oidium  had  dried  up  their  generous  sources  for- 
ever     To  these  must  be  added  excellent  bread,  ingenious 
varieties  of  the  galette,  compounded  now  of  rice  and  now 
of  Indian  meal,  delicious  butter  and  fruits,  all  good  of  their 
kind      And  is  there  anything  bitter  rising  up  from  the 
bottom  of  the  social  bowl?     My  black  friends  who  attend 
on  me  are  grave  as  Mussulman  Khitmutgars.     They  are 
attired  in  liveries,  and  wear  white  cravats   and   Berlin 
gloves.     At  night  when  we  retire,  off  they  go  to  their 
outer  darkness  in  the  small  settlement  of  negrohood,  which 
is  separated  from  our  house  by  a  wooden  palisade.     Their 
fidelity  is  undoubted.    The  house  breathes  an  air  of  security. 
The  doors  and  windows  are  unlocked.     There  is  but  one 
gun,  a  fowling-piece,  on  the  premises.    No  planter  here- 


Russell]     PLANTATION  LIFE  IN  WAR   TIMES.  65 

abouts  has  any  dread  of  his  slaves.  But  I  have  seen, 
within  the  short  time  I  have  been  in  this  part  of  the  world, 
several  dreadful  accounts  of  murder  and  violence,  in  which 
masters  suffered  at  the  hands  of  their  slaves.  There  is 
something  suspicious  in  the  constant,  never-ending  state- 
ment that  "  we  are  not  afraid  of  our  slaves."  The  curfew 
and  the  night  patrol  in  the  streets,  the  prisons  and  watch- 
houses,  and  the  police  regulations,  prove  that  strict  super 
vision,  at  all  events,  is  needed  and  necessary.  My  host  is  a 
kind  man  and  a  good  master.  If  slaves  are  happy  any- 
where, they  should  be  so  with  him. 

These  people  are  fed  by  their  master.  They  have  up* 
ward  of  half  a  pound  per  diem  of  fat  pork,  and  corn  in 
abundance.  They  rear  poultry  and  sell  their  chickens  and 
eggs  to  the  house.  They  are  clothed  by  their  master.  He 
keeps  them  in  sickness  as  in  health.  Now  and  then  there 
are  gifts  of  tobacco  and  molasses  for  the  deserving.  There 
was  little  labor  going  on  in  the  fields,  for  the  rice  has  been 
just  exerting  itself  to  get  its  head  above  water.  These 
fields  yield  plentifully ;  for  the  waters  of  the  river  are  fat, 
and  they  are  let  in  whenever  the  planter  requires  it,  by 
means  of  floodgates  and  small  canals,  through  which  the 
flats  can  carry  their  loads  of  grain  to  the  river  for  loading 
the  steamers. 

[Following  our  traveller  in.  his  peregrinations  through  the  South,  we 
next  take  him  up  on  a  sugar  plantation  on  the  Mississippi.  The  part 
of  his  journey  in  which  we  now  find  him  is  to  be  taken  by  boat.] 

Charon  pushed  his  skiff  into  the  water — there  was  a 
good  deal  of  rain  in  it — in  shape  of  snuffer-dish,  some  ten 
feet  long  and  a  foot  deep.  I  got  in,  and  the  conscious 
waters  immediately  began  vigorously  spurting  through  the 
cotton  wadding  wherewith  the  craft  was  calked.  Had  wo 
got  out  into  the  stream  we  should  have  had  a  swim  for  it, 
l.—e  C* 


66  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Komb.1 

and  they  do  say  the  Mississippi  is  the  most  dangerous  river 
for  that  healthful  exercise  in  the  known  world 

"Why I  deuee  take  you"  (I  said  at  least  that,  in  my 
wrathl  «  don't  you  see  the  boat  is  leaky  ? 

See  it  now  for  true,  massa.    Nobody  able  to  tell  dat 

^VZTefs'kiff  proved  to  he  stanch.     I  bade  good  by  to 
my  Mend,  and  sat  down  in  my  boat,  which  was  soon  forced 
Xg  up-  tream  close  to  the  bank,  in  order  to  get  a  good 
a  facross  to  the  other  side.    The  view,  from  my  Ion  ly 
nosition  was  curious,  but  not  at  all  p.cturesque.    The  land- 
Lap    LI  disappeared  at  once.    The  world  was  bounded 
Thoth  sides  by  a  high  bank,  and  was  confuted  by  a 
b  oadrive^just  as  if  one  were  sailing  down  an  open  sewer 
of Enormous  length  and  breadth.     Above  the  bank  rose, 
howeveMhe  tops  of  tall  trees  and  the  chimneys  oi  sugar 
IZL     A  row  of  a  quarter  of  an  hour  brought  us  to  the 

in  front  of  me,  across  the  road,  appeared  a  carnage .gate- 
wayand wickets  of  wood,  painted  white  in  a    me  of  park 
IlWs  of  the  same  material,  which  extended  up  and 
down  the  road  far  as  the  eye  could  follow,  and  guarded 
wMe  spread  fields  of  maize  and  sugarcane.    An  avenue  of 
TrfeswUh  branches  close  set,  drooping  and  overarchmg  a 
walk  paved  with  red  brick,  led  to  the  house,  the  porch  of 
Itoh  was  just  visible  at  the  extremity  of  the  lawn,  wth 
Uniting  flowers,  rose,  jasmine,  and  creepers  clmgmg  to 
thp  miliars  supporting  the  veranda. 

The  proprietor,  who  had  espied  my  approach,  .ssued 
fortn  wSh  a  section  of  sable  attendants  in  Ms  rear,  and 
gave  me  a  hearty  welcome.  The  house  was  harger  and 
fetter  than  the  residences  even  of  the  nchest  p  anter  , 
a  v,  i*  wa«  in  need  of  some  little  repair,  and  had  Deen 
Xerki;  my  jL  ago,  in  the  old  Irish  fashion,  who 


Kussell]     PLANTATION  LIFE  IN  WAR    TIMES.  67 

built  well,  ate  well,  drank  well,  and,  finally,  paid  very- 
well.  The  view  from  the  belvedere  was  one  of  the  most 
striking  of  its  kind  in  the  world.  If  an  English  agricul- 
turist could  see  six  thousand  acres  of  the  finest  land  in  one 
field,  unbroken  by  hedge  or  boundary,  and  covered  with 
the  most  magnificent  crops  of  tasselling  Indian  corn  and 
sprouting  sugar-cane,  as  level  as  a  billiard-table,  he  would 
surely  doubt  his  senses.  But  here  is  literally  such  a  sight. 
Six  thousand  acres,  better  tilled  than  the  finest  patch  in 
all  the  Lothians,  green  as  Meath  pastures,  which  can  bo 
cultivated  for  a  hundred  years  to  come  without  requiring 
manure,  of  depth  practically  unlimited,  and  yielding  an 
annual  profit  on  what  is  sold  off  it  of  at  least  twenty  pounds 
an  acre  at  the  old  prices  and  usual  yield  of  sugar.  Eising 
up  in  the  midst  of  the  verdure  are  the  white  lines  of  the 
negro  cottages  and  the  plantation  offices  and  sugar-houses, 
which  look  like  large  public  edifices  in  the  distance.  And 
who  is  the  lord  of  all  this  fair  domain  ?  The  proprietor  of 
Houmas  and  Orange  grove  is  a  man,  a  self-made  one,  who 
has  attained  his  apogee  on  the  bright  side  of  half  a  century, 
after  twenty-five  years  of  successful  business. 

When  my  eyes  "  uncurtained  the  early  morning,"  I  might 
have  imagined  myself  in  the  magic  garden  of  Cherry  and 
Fair  Star,  so  incessant  and  multifarious  wero  the  carols  of 
the  birds,  which  were  the  only  happy  colored  people  I  saw 
in  my  Southern  tour,  notwithstanding  the  assurances  of 
the  many  ingenious  and  candid  gentlemen  who  attempted 
to  prove  to  me  that  the  palm  of  terrestrial  felicity  must  be 
awarded  to  their  negroes.  As  I  stepped  through  my  win- 
dow upon  the  veranda,  a  sharp  chirp  called  my  attention 
to  a  mocking-bird  perched  upon  a  rose-bush  beneath,  whom 
my  presence  seemed  to  annoy  to  such  a  degree  that  I  re- 
treated behind  my  curtain,  whence  I  observed  her  flight  to 
a  nest,  cunningly  hid  in  a  creeping  rose  trailed  around 


68  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Russell 

a  neighboring  column  of  the  house,  where  she  imparted  a 
breakfast  of  spiders  and  grasshoppers  to  her  gaping  and 
clamorous  offspring.  While  I  was  admiring  the  motherly 
grace  of  this  melodious  fly-catcher,  a  servant  brought  cof- 
fee, and  announced  that  the  horses  were  ready,  and  that  I 
might  have  a  three  hours  ride  before  breakfast. 

If  I  regretted  the  absence  of  the  English  agriculturist 
when  I  beheld  the  six  thousand  acres  of  cane  and  sixteen 
hundred  of  maize  unfolded  from  the  belvedere  the  day  pre- 
vious, I  longed  for  his  presence  still  more  when  I  saw  those 
evidences  of  luxuriant  fertility  attained  without  the  use  oi 
phosphates  or  guano.    The  rich  Mississippi  bottoms  need 
no  manure  ;  a  rotation  of  maize  with  cane  affords  them  the 
necessary  recuperative  action.     The  cane  of  last  years 
plant  is  left  in  stubble,  and  renews  its  growth  this  spring 
under  the  title  of  ratoons.    When  the  maize  is  in  tassel, 
cow-peas  are  dropped  between  the  rows,  and  when  the 
lordly  stalk,  of  which  I  measured  many  twelve  or  even 
fifteen  feet  in  height,  bearing  three  and  sometimes  four 
ears,  is  topped  to  admit  the  ripening  sun,  the  pea-vine 
twines  itself  around  the  trunk  with  a  profusion  of  leaf 
and  tendril  that  supplies  the  planter  with  the  most  desira- 
ble fodder  for  his  mules  in  -rolling-time,"  which  is  their 
season  of  trial.      Besides  this,  the  corn-blades  are  culled 
and  cured.     These  are  the  best  meals  of  the  Southern  race- 
horse, and  constitute  nutritious  hay  without  dust.  ... 

As  we  ride  through  the  w*gon-roads,-of  which  there 
are  not  less  than  thirty  miles  in  this  confederation  of  four 
plantations  held  together  by  the  purse  and  the  life  of  our 
host,-the  unwavering  exactitude  of  the  rows  of  cane, 
which  run  without  deviation  at  right  angles  with  the  river 
down  to  the  cane-brake,  two  miles  off,  proves  that  the 
negro  would  be  a  formidable  rival  in  a  ploughing-match. 
The  cane  has  been  « laid  by  ;"  that  is,  it  requires  no  more 


Ktjssell]      PLANTATION  LIFE  IN    WAR    TIMES.  69 

labor,  and  will  soon  "lap,"  or  close  up,  though  the  rows 
are  seven  feet  apart.  It  feathers  like  a  palm  top :  a  stalk 
which  was  cut  measured  six  feet,  although  from  the  ridges 
it  was  but  waist-high.  On  dissecting  it  near  the  root  we 
find  five  nascent  joints  not  a  quarter  of  an  inch  apart.  In 
a  few  weeks  more  these  will  shoot  up  like  a  spy-glass 
pulled  out  to  its  focus.  .  .  . 

In  the  rear  of  this  great  plantation  there  are  eighteen 
thousand  additional  acres  of  cane-brake  which  are  being 
slowly  reclaimed.  .  .  .  We  extended  our  ride  into  this 
jungle,  on  the  borders  of  which,  in  the  unfinished  clearing, 
I  saw  plantations  of  "  negro  corn,"  the  sable  cultivators  of 
which  seem  to  have  disregarded  the  symmetry  practised  in 
the  fields  of  their  master,  who  allows  them  from  Saturday 
noon  until  Monday's  cockcrow  for  the  care  of  their  private 
interests.  .  .  . 

Corn,  chicken,  and  eggs  are,  from  time  immemorial,  the 
perquisites  of  the  negro,  who  has  the  monopoly  of  the  two 
last-named  articles  in  all  well-ordered  Louisiana  planta- 
tions. Indeed,  the  white  man  cannot  compete  with  them 
in  raising  poultry,  and  our  host  was  evidently  delighted 
when  one  of  his  negroes,  who  had  brought  a  dozen  Mus- 
covy ducks  to  the  mansion,  refused  to  sell  them  to  him 
except  for  cash.  "  But,  Louis,  won't  you  trust  me  ?  Am  I 
not  good  for  three  dollars?"  "Good  enough,  massa;  but 
dis  nigger  want  de  money  to  buy  flour  and  coffee  for  him 
young  family.  Folks  at  Donaldsonville  will  trust  massa, — 
won't  trust  nigger."  The  money  was  paid,  and,  as  the 
negro  left  us.  his  master  observed,  with  a  sly,  humorous 
twinklo,  "  That  fellow  sold  forty  dollars'  worth  of  corn  last 
year,  and  all  of  them  feed  their  chickens  with  my,  corn, 
and  sell  their  own." 


70 


HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Clarke 


AMONG  FLORIDA  ALLIGATORS 

S.  C.  CLARKE. 

[To  the  several  stories  of  hunting  life  which  we  have  introduced 
into  these  pages  we  may  add  one  description  of  the  large _  game  of  he 
streams  and  lakes  of  Florida,  the  hone-clad  alligator.  With  it  is  given 
a  sketch  of  the  Everglade  region  which  may  be  of  interest.] 

Having  organized  an  expedition  to  the  great  Lake  Oke- 
chobee,  some  thirty  miles  due  west  from  the  Indian  River 
Inlet,  we  hired  a  wagon  and  pair  of  mules  to  carry  our 
tents  and  necessary  baggage,  but,  no  other  animals  being 
attainable,  only  those  of  us  who  were  fit  for  a  tramp  of 
nearly  a  hundred  miles  could  go.     Colonel  Vincent,  Mac- 
leod  and  Herbert  of  the  "Victoria,"  Captain  Morris,  Rob- 
erts, and  myself,  with  the  two  pilots,  Pecetti  and  Weldon 
as  guides,  and  Tom  and  a  negro  whom  we  picked  up  at 
Capron  for  cooks,-ten  men  in  all,  well-armed,-we  were 
strong  enough  to  insure  respect  from  any  roving  party  of 
Seminole,  who  might  have  been  tempted  to  rob  a  weaker 
party.    There  are  at  this  time,  it  is  supposed,  two  or  three 
hundred  of  these  Indians  in  the  region  between  Lake  Oke- 
chobee  and  the  Keys,  descendants  of  a  few  Seminoles  who 
concealed  themselves  in  these  inaccessible  fastnesses  when 
the  greater  part  of  their  nation  was  sent  West  in  1842. 
They  plant  some  corn  on  the  islands  of  the  Everglades 
but  live  principally  by  the  chase.     Hitherto  they  have  not 
been  hostile  to  the  whites,  but  as  they  increase ,  in  numbers 
faster  than  the  white  settlers,  it  is  not  impossible  that  they 
may  reoccupy  Southern  Florida  sooner  or  later,  it  being,  in 
fact,  a  region  suited  only  to  the  roving  hunter.      .  . 

The  first  day  we  made  about  twenty  miles  through  a 


Clarke]  AMONG   FLORIDA   ALLIGATORS.  71 

forest  of  yellow  pine,  such  as  stretches  along  the  Southern 
coast  from  Virginia  to  Alabama,  the  trees  standing  thirty 
or  forty  feet  apart,  with  little  underbrush.  Here  and  there 
we  came  upon  a  hummock  of  good  soil,  covered  with  the 
live-oak,  magnolia,  and  cabbage-palm,  all  interlaced  with 
vines  and  creepers,  so  as  to  form  an  almost  impassable 
jungle.  Now  the  road  would  lead  into  a  wide  savanna  or 
meadow,  waving  with  grass  and  browsed  by  herds  of  wild 
cattle  and  deer.  In  these  meadows  were  set  bright,  mirror- 
like lakes,  the  abodes  of  water-fowl  and  wading  birds,  black 
bass,  and  the  grim  alligator,  which  in  these  solitudes,  not 
being  impressed  with  the  fear  of  man,  will  hardly  trouble 
himself  to  move  out  of  the  way.  March  in  this  region 
corresponding  to  May  in  the  Middle  States,  the  birds  were 
in  full  spring  song  in  every  thicket,— the  cardinal,  the  non- 
pareil, the  mocking-bird,  and  our  old  familiar  robin,  whose 
cheerful  note  greets  the  traveller  all  over  North  America. 
Up  and  down  the  great  pine  trunks  ran  the  red  and  gray 
squirrels,  the  little  brown  hare  scudded  through  the  pal- 
metto scrub,  and  the  turkey-buzzards  floated  above  our 
heads  in  long  easy  circles. 

So  we  fared  on  our  way  till  about  four  p.m.,  when  we 
made  our  camp  on  a  clear  branch  or  creek  w^hich  issued 
from  a  lake  near  by,  and  while  some  of  the  party  went  to 
look  for  a  deer,  Captain  Herbert  and  I  took  our  rods  and 
went  up  the  creek  towards  the  lake.  Casting  our  spoons 
into  a  deep  hole,  we  soon  took  a  mess  of  bass  and  pike, 
which  were  very  abundant  and  eager  to  be  caught,  when,  as 
we  were  preparing  to  return  to  camp,  we  suddenly  saw  an 
alligator  about  eight  feet  long  quietly  stealing  towards  us. 
I  seized  a  young  pine-tree  about  as  thick  as  my  arm,  and 
made  for  him.  Not  at  all  alarmed,  the  beast  opened  his 
jaws  and  advanced,  hissing  loudly.  I  brought  down  my 
club  with  full  force  upon  his  head,  but  it  seemed  to  produce 


72  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Clarkb 

no  impression ;  he  still  advanced  as  I  retreated  battering 

his  skull.  m 

«  What  is  that  brute's  head  made  of?"  inquired  Herbert, 
as  he  came  to  my  assistance  with  another  club ;  and  be- 
tween us  we  managed  to  stun  the  hard-lived  reptile,  and 
left  him  on  the  ground. 

The  hunters  brought  in  a  young  buck  and  two  turkeys, 
so  that  we  bad  a  plentiful  supper  after  our  tramp.  .  .  . 

About  two  o'clock  that  night  we  were  disturbed  by  the 
mules,  which  had  been  staked  out  to  graze  hard  by,  and 
which  retreated  towards  the  camp  to  the  end  of  their 
ropes,  snorting  with  terror.     The  dogs  rushed  to  the  scene 
of  disturbance,  and  appeared  to  have  a  fight  with  some 
animal  which  escaped  in  the  woods.     Our  guides  thought 
it  was  a  panther,  and  at  daylight  they  started,  with  Morris 
and  myself  and  all  the  dogs,  to  hunt  for  it.     The  hounds 
soon  hit  the  trail,  which  we  followed  into  a  cypress  swamp 
about  half  a  mile  from  the  camp,  in  the  midst  of  which 
they  started  a  large  panther,  which,  being  hotly  pressed  by 
the  hounds,  treed  in  a  big  live-oak  on  the  farther  side  ot 
the  swamp.     When  we  came  up  we  plainly  saw  the  beast 
lying  out  on  a  branch  which  stretched  horizontally  from 
the  trunk  about  twenty-five  feet  from  the  ground. 

«  Now,"  said  Pecetti,  «  you  two  fire  first,  and  if  you  don  t 
kill  Weldon  and  I  will  be  ready.     Aim  at  the  heart/' 

Morris  and  I  fired,  and  the  panther  sprang  from  the  tree 
among  the  dogs,  which  all  piled  on  him  at  once.  There 
was  a  confused  mass  of  fur  rolling  on  the  ground,  snarling, 
and  snapping,  for  half  a  minute ;  then  the  panther  broke 
loose,  and  was  making  off,  when  Weldon  put  half  a  dozen 
buckshot  in  his  head,  and  he  rolled  over  and  over,  so  nearly 
dead  that  when  the  dogs  mounted  him  again  he  could  do 
no  mischief.  He  had  badly  cut  both  the  deer-hounds,  how- 
over,  which  had  been  the  first  to  seize  him :  Weldon  s  fox- 


Clarkk]  AMONG   FLORIDA   ALLIGATORS.  73 

hounds,  having  more  experience  with  this  sort  of  gari)e, 
had  kept  clear  of  his  claws.  It  was  a  fine  male,  measuring 
eight  feet  from  the  nose  to  the  tip  of  the  tail,  and  we  took 
the  skin  for  a  trophy.  The  tenacity  of  life  in  these  large 
cats  is  very  great.  One  of  our  balls  had  penetrated  the 
chest,  and  the  other  had  broken  the  fore  leg,  but  he  was 
still  able  to  shake  off  the  dogs,  and  would  probably  have 
escaped  but  for  Weldon's  shot.  .  .  . 

The  next  morning,  March  13,  we  breakfasted  upon  a 
couple  of  gophers  or  land-tortoises  which  the  men  had 
found  the  day  before  in  the  pine-woods.  These  creatures 
are  ahout  eighteen  inches  long,  and  weigh  twelve  or  fifteen 
pounds.  A  stew  of  the  gopher  and  the  terminal  buds  of 
the  cabbage-palm  is  a  favorite  Florida  dish.  About  noon 
we  came  suddenly  upon  the  shore  of  the  great  lake  Oke- 
cbobee,  which  extends  away  to  the  west  and  south  as  far 
as  the  eye  can  reach :  in  fact,  the  shores  are  so  low  as 
to  be  invisible  at  any  distance.  This  is  by  far  the  largest 
sheet  of  water  in  the  State,  being  about  forty  miles  long 
and  thirty  wide,  but  it  is  not  deep.  It  contains  on  the 
western  side  several  islands,  which  are  occupied  by  the 
Seminoles.  To  the  south  and  east  of  this  lake  are  the 
Everglades,  or  Grassy  Lakes,  a  region  where  land  and 
water  are  mingled, — rivers,  lakes,  dry  islands,  and  wet 
marshes  all  jumbled  together  in  confusion,  and  extending 
over  many  hundred  square  miles,  the  chosen  abode  of  the 
alligator,  the  gar-fish,  the  snapping-turtle,  the  moccasin 
snake,  and  other  hideous  and  ferocious  creatures  more  or 
less  mythical,  and  recalling  those  earlier  periods  in  the 
earth's  history  when  the  great  monsters,  the  Ichthyosauri 
and  the  Plesiosauri,  wallowed  and  crawled  over  the  conti- 
nents. 

We  made  our  camp  in  a  grove  near  tho  lake,  almost  on 
the  spot  where  Taylor  fought  his  battle  in  1838.     As  soon 
n  7 


74  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Clarkb 

as  this  was  done  the  pilots  went  in  search  of  a  tree  to 
make  canoes.     They  found  not   far   off   a  large  cypress 
which  served,  and  by  the  next  night  they  had  completed 
two  canoes,   each   about   twelve   feet   long   and   eighteen 
inches  wide,  suitable  for  navigating  the  lake  and  able  to 
carry  four  men  each.   In  the  mean  time  we  had  commenced 
hostilities   against   the   alligators,  which  were   here  very 
large,  bold,  and  numerous.     They  lay  basking  in  the  sun 
upon  the  beach  in  front  of  our  camp,  some  of  them  fifteen 
feet  long,  and  it  became   necessary  to  drive  them  away, 
lest  they  should  devour  our  dogs,  or  even  our  mules,  tor 
some  of  these  monsters  looked  able  to  do  it.     We  opened 
fire  upon  them  with  repeating  rifles,  and  if  any  Indians 
were  within  hearing  they  must  have  supposed  that  General 
Taylor  had  come  back  again,  such  was  the  rapidity  of  our 
fusillade.     The  brain  of  the  alligator  is  small,  and  developed 
chiefly  in  the  region  of  destructiveness ;  but  after  a  dozen 
were  killed  and  many  more  wounded,  it  seemed  to  dawn 
upon  their  perceptions  that  this  part  of  the  lake  was  un- 
safe, and  they  gradually  took  themselves  away.     I  disap- 
prove of  killing  animals  for  mere  sport,  and  destroy  not 
deliberately  except  when  I  wish  to  use  them  for  food ;  but 
the   alligator  is  the   enemy  of  all  living   creatures,  the 
tyrant  of  the  waters,  and  the  death  of  one  saves  the  lives 
of  hundreds   of  other   animals.      So   blaze   away  at   the 
•gators,  O  ye  Florida  tourists  !-you  will  not  kill  many  of 
them,  anyway:  their  shells  are  too  thick --but  spare  the 
pelicans,  who  are  a  harmless  race  of  fisherfolk,  like  our- 

16  There  were  great  numbers  of  large  turtles  in  the  lake, 
Chelonura  and  Trionyx,  from  two  to  three  feet  long ;  gar- 
fish also,  almost  as  big  as  the  alligators.  These  mailed 
warriors,  like  the  knights  of  old,  exercise  their  prowess 
chiefly  upon  the  defenceless  multitudes  of  the  fresh  waters, 


Clarke]  AMONG   FLORIDA    ALLIGATORS.  75 

but  I  have  heard  of  half  a  large  alligator  being  found  in 
the  stomach  of  a  shark  at  a  river  mouth.  In  spite  of  all 
these  destroyers,  the  lake  swarmed  with  fish.  Pecetti 
could  generally  get  enough  black  bass,  pike,  or  perch  at 
one  or  two  casts  of  his  net  to  feed  our  whole  party  if  at 
any  time  it  happened  that  they  would  not  bite  at  the 
hook. 

A  curious  feature  of  the  lake  and  river  scenery  is  the 
floating  island.  This  is  principally  formed  of  the  water- 
lettuce,  or  Pistia,  an  aquatic  plant  with  long  roots  which 
descend  to  the  bottom.  These  beds  of  Pistia  become 
matted  together  with  grass  and  weeds,  so  as  to  be  thick 
enough  to  bear  the  weight  of  small  animals,  and  even 
sometimes  of  man.  In  strong  winds  these  islands  break 
loose  from  their  anchorage  and  float  awTay  for  miles,  till 
they  bring  up  in  some  quiet  bay,  where  the  plants  again 
take  root.  Lake  Okechobee  contains  many  of  these  float- 
ing meadows,  which  are  a  great  resort  for  ducks  and  water- 
fowl. In  fact,  one  would  think  that  all  the  ducks,  divers, 
herons,  curlews,  ibises,  cranes,  and  waders  generally  had 
assembled  here  in  mass-meeting.  Among  them  are  those 
rare  and  beautiful  species,  the  scarlet  ibis,  roseate  spoon- 
bill, and  black-necked  stilt.  The  ducks,  being  birds  of  pas- 
sage, spending  their  summers  up  North,  are  acquainted 
with  men  and  their  arts,  and  are  comparatively  shy, 
but  the  native  birds  are  very  tame  and  can  easily  be  ap- 
proached. 

I  was  awakened  the  next  morning  at  sunrise  by  sounds 
from  the  woods  as  of  a  gang  of  ship-carpenters  or  calkers 
at  work.  It  was  the  great  ivory-billed  woodpecker  (Picus 
principalis)  tearing  off  the  bark  and  probing  the  dead  trees 
for  insects  and  grubs,  and  making  a  noise  which  could 
plainly  be  heard  half  a  mile  in  the  still  morning  air. 
Another  sound  of  a  different  character  now  made   itself 


76  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Clakke 

heard  from  the  swamps.  It  was  something  like  the  bel- 
lowing of  bulls,  and  proceeded  from  the  old  male  alligators 
calling  to  their  mates.  This  indicates  the  coming  of  spring, 
the  breeding-season  of  these  creatures.  William  Bartram, 
who  travelled  in  East  Florida  a  hundred  years  ago,  gives 
a  thrilling  account  of  the  terrible  combats  which  he  wit- 
nessed in  the  St.  John's  Kiver  between  these  rival  cham- 
pions, who  did  not  hesitate  to  attack  him  in  his  boat. 

The  next  day,  March  15,  being  in  want  of  meat,  Colonel 
Vincent,  Dr.  Macleod,  Morris,  and  I  started  for  a  hunt, 
taking  Pecetti  for  guide,  since  nothing  is  easier  than  to 
get  lost  in  this  wilderness.     We  kept  up  the  lake  shore  to 
the  north  on  the  sandy  beach,  towards  the  mouth  of  the 
Kissimmee  Eiver,  which  here  enters  the  lake.     This  is  a 
deep  and  rapid  stream,  which  drains  the  great  wet  prairies 
to  the  north,  and  in  the  rainy  season  must  carry  a  large 
volume  of  water.     Like  the  lake,  it  has  great  patches  of 
water-lettuce,  which   in   some   places   almost   bridge   the 
channel     Much  of  its  course  is  through  swamps,  though 
in  some  places  the  pine  barrens  and  live-oak  hummocks 
approach  its  banks.     It  contains  immense  quantities  of  fash, 
—pike,  bass,  and  perch. 

In  the  first  hummock  which  we  reached  the  colonel  shot 
a  buck,  and  I  got  two  young  turkeys  from  a  flock     As  we 
emerged  from  this  hummock  the  guide  spied  a  herd  of  wild 
cattle   feeding  on  the  prairie  about  half  a  mile  off,  and 
by  his  direction  we  crept  through  the  scrub  as  far  as  it 
afforded  cover,  and  then  trusted  to  the  high  grass  for  con- 
cealment till  we  got  within  a  hundred  yards  of  the  herd, 
which  consisted  of  about  twenty  cows  and  calves  with  a 
couple  of  bulls.     The  doctor  and  colonel  fired  together  and 
brought  down  a  heifer.     A  big  bull  immediately  charged 
towards  the  smoke  and  report  of  the  guns,  for  he  could 
not  see  us.     On  he  came,  head  down  and  tail  erect,  bellow- 


Clarke]  AMONG  FLORIDA  ALLIGATORS.  77 

ing  with  rage, — a  magnificent  animal  of  brindled  color, 
with  an  immensely  heavy  neck  and  shoulder,  like  a  bison, 
but  without  the  mane.  When  within  fifty  yards  I  fired  at 
his  head :  the  ball  struck  him  full  in  the  forehead  and 
staggered  him,  but  he  shook  his  head  and  kept  straight  for 
us.  I  gave  him  another  shot,  which  struck  him  in  the 
chest  and  turned  him,  when  Pecetti  gave  bim  sixteen  buck- 
shot in  the  shoulder  from  his  big  double-barrel,  which 
brought  him  down,  dying  bravely  in  defence  of  his  family. 

"His  carcass  is  too  old  and  tough  to  be  of  any  good," 
said  the  guide,  "  but  I'll  take  off  his  hide :  the  heifer  will 
give  us  meat  enough." 

While  he  was  butchering,  Morris  returned  to  the  camp 
and  sent  out  Tom  with  the  wagon  to  bring  in  the  beef  and 
venison.  It  was  not  long  before  a  flock  of  turkey-buzzards 
appeared  in  sight  and  floated  in  circles  above  our  heads, 
waiting  for  our  departure  to  begin  their  feast.  It  was 
formerly  the  opinion  of  naturalists  that  these  birds  were 
guided  by  scent  in  the  discovery  of  the  dead  animals  upon 
which  they  feed,  but  later  investigations  show  that  they 
are  led  by  their  acute  vision  ;  and  my  own  experience  con- 
vinces me  that  this  is  the  fact.  As  we  were  returning  to 
camp  through  the  hummock,  Pecetti  killed  a  large  rattle- 
snake :  it  was  over  five  feet  long,  and  as  thick  as  the  calf 
of  a  man's  leg.  .  .  . 

On  the  morning  of  March  20,  Captain  Herbert,  Pecetti 
and  I  went  on  a  fishing  excursion  up  the  lake  in  a  canoe. 
A  few  casts  of  the  net  near  the  shore  procured  a  supply  of 
small  fish  of  the  mullet  species  for  bait,  and  we  paddled  up 
near  to  the  inlet  of  the  Kissimmee.  Here  we  found  the  alli- 
gators and  gars  too  numerous,  the)'  having  collected  prob- 
ably to  prey  upon  the  fish  which  there  enter  the  lake.  In 
a  quiet  bay  near  the  fringe  of  Pistia  and  water-lilies,  where 
the  water  was  five  or  six  feet  deep,  we  trolled  with  a  spoon 

7* 


78  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Clarkk 

for  black  bass,  and  took  some  of  very  large  size,— eight,  ten 

and  twelve  pounds.  .  .  . 

What  adds  much  to  the  interest  of  fishing  in  strange 
waters  is  the  uncertainty  of  the  sport  and  the  variety  of 
species;  and  in  this  lake  we  could  not  tell  whether  the 
next  offer  would  be  from  a  peaceful  perch,  a  bounding  bass, 
a  piratical  pike,  or  a  gigantic  gar.     I  put  a  chub,  or  a  fish 
resembling  it,  eight  or  nine  inches  long  upon  a  gang  ot 
large  hooks,  and  cast  it  astern  with  a  hand-line.    Presently 
I  saw  a  great  roll  towards  it  from  out  the  weeds,  and  my 
line  stopped  short.     I  had  something  very  heavy,  which, 
however,  played  in  the  sluggish  fashion  of  the  pike  family, 
and  in  ten  minutes,  without  much  resistance,  I  had  it  along- 
side the  canoe,  and  it  was  gaffed  by  Pecetti.    It  was  a  huge 
pike  four  feet  four  inches  long,  and  weighed,  when  we  got 
to  camp,  thirty-four  pounds.     Pecetti  called  it  the  striped 
pike,  and  said  he  had  seen  them  six  feet  long  in  some  of 
the  lakes:  perhaps  Esox  vittatus  (Kafinesque)  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi Basin.  . 

By  this  time  the  gars  had  collected  about  us  in  such 
numbers  that  the  other  fish  were  driven  away:  we  found 
it  impossible  to  get  a  hook  into  their  bony  jaws  or  bills, 
and  only  succeeded  in  capturing  one  of  small  size  by  slip- 
ping a  noose  over  its  head  as  it  followed  the  bait.     This 
gar-fish  is  useless  as  food,  but  we  wanted  a  few  specimens 
for  Dr  White,  it  being  in  demand  for  museums,  particu- 
larly in  foreign  countries,  as  it  belongs  to  a  species  exclu- 
sively American,   and  represents  an  order  of  fishes  (the 
ganoids)  of  which  few  families  at  present  exist.    This  one, 
Lepidosteus,  has  a  wide  range  in  America,  being  found  from 
Florida  to  Wisconsin.     Another  American  ganoid  is  Amia 
calva.  the  dog-fish  or  bow-fin,  which  is  very  numerous  in 
Western  rivers.     Both  are  voracious,  but  unfit  for  tooo. 
They  are  described  by  Agassiz  as  being  of  an  old-fashioned 


Telvertou]  IN  THE  MAMMOTH  CAVE.  79 

type,  such  as  were  common  in  the  earlier  geologic  periods, 
and  this  is  one  among  many  proofs  that  North  America 
is  the  oldest  of  the  continents. 

Morris,  Vincent,  and  the  other  hunters  brought  in  to-day 
a  large  supply  of  game, — deer,  turkeys,  and  ducks, — but 
sustained  the  loss  of  one  of  Morris's  deer-hounds,  which 
they  supposed  to  have  been  taken  by  an  alligator  while 
swimming  a  lake  in  pursuit  of  a  deer.  They  were  some 
miles  south  of  the  camp  when  this  occurred.  They  did 
not  see  the  alligator,  but  the  dog  suddenly  disappeared, 
and  was  not  to  be  found  after  a  long  search.  Morris  felt 
so  much  disgusted  by  the  loss  of  this  valuable  dog  that  he 
wished  to  return  to  the  yacht  and  go  down  towards  the 
Keys.  So  we  started  the  next  morning,  and  arrived  at 
the  inlet  on  the  23d.  The  weather  had  been  delightful,  as 
is  usually  the  case  in  Florida  in  winter,  but  the  day  we 
arrived  at  the  inlet  we  encountered  the  beginning  of  the 
equinoctial  storm,  which  lasted  two  days  and  was  very 
violent. 


IN  THE  MAMMOTH  CAVE. 

THERESE  YELVERTON. 

[Among  the  many  marvels  of  nature  in  the  United  States  the 
Mammoth  Cave  holds  a  prominent  position,  and  we  feel  it  incumbent 
on  us  to  accompany  some  of  our  company  of  travellers  into  its  depths. 
The  "  Teresina  in  America"  of  Therese  Yelverton  (Viscountess  Avon- 
more)  affords  us  the  opportunity,  of  which  we  avail  ourselves  in  the 
following  selection.] 

We  arrived  at  the  Mammoth  Cave  on  one  of  those 
heavenly  days  which  earthly  words  fail  to  depict.  It 
was  the  second  week  in  November,  the  "  Indian  summer," 


g0  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.         [Yklvkrtoi* 

the  most  charming  season  in  America.     If  anything  were 
necessary  to  convince  me  that  a  future  beatitude  is  no 
fiction,  it  would  be  this   foretaste  of  bliss  in  such  days 
as  these,  when  the  whole  being— mind  and  body— seems 
lapped    in    a    state    of   peace    and    beatitude    combined. 
Anxieties  and  worldly  cares  seem  to  float  away  into  the 
dim  distance;  our  love  is  free  from  feverish  excitement, 
and  hate  has  lost  its  gall  and  sting.     The  golden  light 
which  floats  around  mellows  our  soul  to  repose.     There  is 
that  exhilarating,  yet  balmy  nourishment  in  the  atmos- 
phere which  lifts  the  weary  spirit  from  its  damp  and 
earthly  coil,  and  makes  it  glad,  and  light,  and  gleesome. 
The  heavy  "heart  bowed  down  by  weight  of  woe"  sud- 
denly imbibes  some  of  the  joyous  elasticity  which  fills  the 
insect  tribe,— the  bees  and  grasshoppers,  the  golden  fly, 
glittering  and  humming  in  pure  ecstasies,  and  the  merry 
little    beetles    revelling   in   one   continuous   contra-dance. 
Earely,  indeed,  can  we  overcharged  human  beings  feel  as 
blithesome  as  the  insect  world  ;  we  seek  to  taste  the  apples 
of  delight  which  turn  to  ashes  in  our  mouth,  and  neglect 
to  sip  with  them  the  nectar  in  the  breeze.     What  can  we 
do  ?  these  breezes  come  so  seldom.     The  insect  sparkles  to- 
day in  the  sunshine  and  to-morrow  it  dies.     We  of  the 
superior  race  have  to  live  and  labor  through  sunshine  and 
shade,  and  can  only  catch  these  rosy  minutes  as  they  fly. 

Some  of  these  halcyon  moments  we  enjoyed  on  that  for- 
tunate day  we  arrived  at  the  Mammoth  Cave,  Kentucky. 
The  earth  was  covered  with  its  autumn  carpet  of  dry  dark 
leaves,— brown  and  glossy  on  one  side,  deep  violet  on  the 
other,— and  crinkling  and  crushing  beneath  our  tread, 
they  kept  up  a  staccato  treble  to  the  dulcet  sighing  of 
the  wind  through  the  yellow  leaves  still  lingering  on  the 
trees.  A  delicious  concert  of  sweet  sounds,  and  one  that 
Mozart  and  Mendelssohn  must  have  studied  well  and  care- 


Yklvkrton]         IN  THE  MAMMOTH  CAVE.  81 

fully.  The  atmosphere  was  bright  and  clear  as  under  a 
summer  sun,  but  without  the  heat ;  the  air  as  fine  and 
bracing  as  winter,  but  without  the  cold.  We  lost  sight 
entirely  of  the  two  great  tormentors,  heat  and  cold,  and 
for  the  few  days  of  our  stay  forgot  their  very  existence. 

I  have  heard  of  persons  feeling,  under  the  effect  of 
laughter,  as  light  and  buoyant  as  if  floating  in  ambient 
air.  The  atmosphere  during  their  "Indian  summer"  must, 
doubtless,  be  strongly  impregnated  with  oxygen,  for  we 
experienced  a  similar  sensation ;  which  was  probably 
deepened  by  the  fact  of  our  having  come  from  Louisville, 
where  those  hotel  stairs  had  seemed  a  perfect  toil  to  us. 

The  country  around  the  caves,  for  eight  or  ten  miles, 
was  a  series  of  deep  ravines,  studded  with  projecting  cliffs 
and  rocks,  ana  covered  with  oak — principally  the  English 
oak — and  another  gigantic  species,  with  leaves  from  a 
quarter  to  half  a  yard  long,  but  of  the  same  form  as  the 
ordinary  oak-leaf.  Up  and  down  the  ravines  we  scrambled 
and  roamed,  as  happy  as  goats  or  wild  chamois.  These 
ravines,  or  glens,  have  no  doubt  been  the  beds  of  some 
ancient  river,  now,  perhaps,  flowing  through  the  bowels  of 
the  earth ;  for  this  part  of  the  country  is  intersected  by 
underground  rivers,  a  stream  often  suddenly  appearing, 
which,  after  flowing  on  for  a  few  miles,  plunges  rapidly  into 
the  earth  and  is  lost  to  sight. 

An  anecdote  is  told  of  two  millers  who  had  their  mills 
on  two  different  rivers,  thirty  miles  apart.  There  had 
been  a  long  drought,  and  neither  mill  had  been  working; 
but  one  day  miller  No.  1  heard  his  wheel  going  round  at 
a  tremendous  pace,  and  going  to  examine  it  perceived  a 
quantity  of  water,  although  there  had  not  been  a  drop  of 
rain  for  some  time.  He  went  over  to  communicate  his 
good  luck  to  his  neighbor. 

"  Oh  !"  exclaimed  miller  No.  2,  "you're  gettin'  my  water 


g2  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.        [Yelverton 

unbeknownst,  for  a  cloud  burst  over  us  the  other  night  and 
nearly  drowned  us  all." 

It  was  evident  the  millers  were  working  the  same  stream, 
which  ran  for  thirty  miles  underground,  similar  to  the 
lakes  in  Florida,  called  sinks  (for  Americans  call  every- 
thing by  gross-sounding  names),  which  suddenly  disappear, 
leaving  all  the  fish  stranded.  Sometimes  the  water  re- 
turns, sometimes  not.  ... 

Independent  of  the  caves,  the  scenery  around,  to  a  lover 
of  nature,  is  well  worthy  of  a  visit,  and  for  a  summer 
resort  is  unsurpassed  ;  shady,  romantic  walks  through  the 
woods;  a  delicious  air  breathed  from  the  gigantic  mouth 
of  the  cavern,  whence,  in  the  hot  months,  it  blows  cool  and 
refreshing;  in  the  cold  ones  soft  and  warm;  the  actual 
temperature  of  the  cave  never  varying.  The  sensations  of 
heat  and  cold  are  produced  by  comparison  with  the  outer 

air.  , 

It  occurred  to  a  medical  man  some  years  ago  that  the 
uniform  atmosphere  of  this  cave  might  be  a  specific  for 
consumption. 

Possessed  with  this  theory,  the  doctor  had  a  dozen  small 
houses  constructed  in  the  cavern,  about  a  mile  or  two  from 
its  mouth,  and  to  these  he  conveyed  his  patients.     From 
the  appearance  of  these  places  of  abode,  the  only  wonder 
is  that  the  poor  invalids  did  not  expire  after  twenty-four 
hours  of  residence  in  them.     They,  however,  contrived  to 
exist  there  about  three  months,  most  of  them  being  carried 
out  in  extremis.    The  houses  consisted  of  a  single  room, 
built  of  the  rough  stone  of  the  cavern,— which,  in  this  part, 
bears  all  the  appearance  of  a  stone-quarry,-and  without 
one  particle  of  comfort  beyond  a  boarded  floor,  the  small 
dwelling   being  constructed   entirely  on   the  model  of  a 
lock-up,  or  «  stone-jug."     The  cells  of  a  modern  prison  are 
quite  palatial  in  comparison  with  them.     The  darkness  is 


Yklverton]  IN  THE  MAMMOTH  CAVE.  83 

such  as  might  be  felt ;  and  it  is  impossible  to  realize  what 
darkness  actually  is  until  experienced  in  some  place  where 
a  ray  of  sunlight  has  never  penetrated. 

From  the  mouth  of  the  cavern  to  that  part  where  the 
doctor's  houses  were  built  was  a  continual,  though  gradual, 
descent,  and  at  that  spot  there  was  a  solid  roof  of  a  hun- 
dred and  fifty  feet  of  earth.  The  houses — or  rather  de- 
tached stone  boxes — were  so  small  that  without  vitiating 
the  air  only  one  person  could  remain  in  them  at  one  time ; 
so  that,  besides  the  darkness, — in  case  of  any  accident  to 
their  lamps, — these  poor  creatures  must  have  endured  utter 
solitude.  Their  food  was  brought  from  the  hotel,  two  or 
three  miles  away,  on  the  hill,  and  consequently  must  have 
been  cold  and  comfortless.  They  were  kept  prisoners 
within  their  narrow  cells,  for  the  rough  rocks  and  stones 
everywhere  abounding  rendered  a  promenade  for  invalids 
quite  impracticable.  The  deprivation  of  sunlight,  fresh 
air,  and  all  the  beauties  of  the  earth  must  have  been  the 
direst  punishment  imaginable.  No  wonder  these  poor 
creatures  were  carried  out  one  by  one  to  die. 

The  last  one  having  become  so  weak  that  it  was  deemed 
unsafe  to  move  him,  his  friends  resolved  to  stay  with  him  in 
the  cavern  till  the  last.  What  transpired  is  now  beyond 
investigation.  Whether  some  effect  of  light,  which  in  this 
cavern  has  a  most  mysterious  and  awful  appearance,  or 
whether  the  death-bed  was  one  of  terrors,  owing  to  some 
imp  of  mischief  having  laid  a  plan  to  "  scare"  them,  as  they 
say  in  this  country,  is  not  known  ;  but  they  rushed  terror- 
stricken  from  the  cave,  and  on  reaching  the  hotel  fell 
down  insensible.  Subsequently  they  declared  they  had 
seen  spirits  carrying  away  their  friend.  Mustering  a 
strong  force,  the  people  from  terra  ftrma,  with  the  guides 
and  plenty  of  torches,  sallied  down  to  the  lower  and  sup- 
posed infernal  regions.     The  spirits,  however,  had   fled, 


g4  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.        [Yelverton 

leaving  nothing  but  the  stiffening  corpse  of  the  poor  con- 
sumptive. This  ended  all  hope  of  the  cavern  as  a  cure  for 
consumption. 

The  Mammoth  Cave  is  perhaps  the  most  extensively 
explored  cavern  known.     It  extends  for  nine  continuous 
miles,  so  that  it  would  be  possible  to  walk  fifty  miles  in 
and  out  by  different  roads.    The  cavern  consists  of  various 
large  chambers  and  lofty  domes,  averaging  from  twenty 
to  one  hundred  feet  in  height.     Some  of  the  chambers  ex- 
actly resemble  the  tombs  of  the  kings  of  Egypt,  and  the 
narrow  tortuous  defiles  through  the  rocks  are  also  very 
hue  the  roads  into  the  Pyramids.    Most  of  these  chambers 
are  merely  natural  excavations  in  the  solid  rock.     One  of 
the  white-domed  ceilings  is  covered  with  a  thick  scroll- 
pattern  traced  in  black,  and  consists  entirely  of  bats,  which 
take  up  their  winter  quarters  in  these  caverns,  and  fare 
better  in  them  apparently  than  the  consumptives.     It  is 
curious  how  these  sightless  creatures,  from  various  parts 
of  the  country,  find  out  the  caves,  so  impervious  to  light 
and  cold,  and  where,  from  the  noise  they  make,  they  seem 
to  have  a  merry  time  of  it.    Not  so,  however,  the  visitors 
passing  through  this  part  of  the  cave ;  for  the  bats  are  apt 
to  fly  right  in  one's  face,  or  stick  against  one's  clothes,  and 
bite  furiously  at  any  attempt  to  dislodge  them. 

Still  farther  on  there  is  a  vast  vault,  upward  of  eighty 
feet  high,  formed  of  gypsum  with  some  sort  of  crystals 
embedded  in  it.  When  you  sit  and  gaze  on  it  for  some 
time,  by  the  dim  light  of  the  lamps,  the  vault  seems  to 
recede  into  azure  space.  A  bright  sparkling  veil  hangs 
over  it  like  the  milky-way,  seen  dimly  between  the  shelv- 
ing rocks,  which  bulge  out  in  round  soft  layers,  of  a  whitish- 
gray  cast,  and  look  exactly  like  petrified  clouds.  By  a 
judicious  movement  of  the  light  of  the  lamps  a  most 
beautiful  phenomenon  of  cloud-scenery  is  effected,  and  by 


Yklverton]         IN  THE  MAMMOTH  CAVE.  85 

their  gradual  extinction  a  Stygian  darkness  seems  to  wrap 
all  in  perfect  horror.  This,  the  "  Star  Chamber,"  is  one  of 
the  finest  effects  in  the  Mammoth  Cave,  and  it  might  be 
enhanced  to  the  wildest  magnificence  by  an  artistic  ar- 
rangement of  variously  colored  lights.  The  cave  would  be 
a  fine  place  in  which  to  read  Dante's  Inferno. 

Here  and  there  through  the  cave  there  are  immense  pits 
or  chasms,  only  some  few  yards  in  circumference,  but  from 
two  to  three  hundred  feet  in  depth.  A  piece  of  paper  sat- 
urated in  oil  is  thrown  down  and  displays  the  fearful  gulf, 
the  bottom  of  which  appears  to  have  the  same  formation 
of  rock  and  clay  as  the  top.  Sometimes  we  ascended  ten 
or  twenty  feet  by  ladders  and  occasionally  descended.  We 
traversed  about  a  mile  of  passage  where  the  ceiling,  six 
feet  high,  was  as  smooth  and  white  as  plaster  could  have 
made  it.  It  was  literally  covered  with  the  names  of  former 
visitors.  In  some  places  there  were  hundreds  of  cards  on 
the  floor,  left  by  guests, — so  it  is  not  only  English  people 
who  have  a  mania  for  inscribing  their  names.  Indeed,  as 
to  that,  it  is  common  to  most  nations,  for  I  had  a  secretary 
named  Van  Kcnkle,  who  wrote  his  name  upon  every  arti- 
cle belonging:  to  me. 

For  eight  or  nine  miles  we  continued  to  traverse  pas- 
sages and  chambers,  sometimes  over  rough  pieces  of  rock, 
sometimes  through  the  thick  dust  of  ages,  sometimes 
through  the  tortuous  gorges, — mere  slits  between  the  rocks 
through  which  we  had  to  creep, — sometimes  coming  upon 
a  well  or  spring  of  sweet  water.  At  about  three  or  four 
miles  from  the  mouth  we  came  to  the  chamber  called  "The 
Church,"  from  its  resemblance  to  the  ancient  cathedral 
vault,  frequently  to  be  seen  on  the  European  continent 
under  churches  or  monasteries,  and  called  the  crypt. 

This  church  of  the  Mammoth  Cave  is  a  singular  phe- 
nomenon.    The  roof,  which  is  not  lofty,  is  supported  by  a 

8 


86  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.        [Yelvkbtok 

number  of  pillars,  in  many  places  forming  Gothic  arches, 
and  running  at  somewhat  regular  distances,  dividing  the 
church  into  aisles.     These  columns  are  actually  enormous 
stalactites,  and  the  fresco  of  petrified  water  upon  them  has 
all  the  appearance  of  the  most  rich  and  elaborate  carving. 
In  some  places  the  pillars  of  stone  have  not  quite  reached 
the  ground,  and  remain  suspended  from  the  roof.     Other- 
and  smaller  condensed  stalactites  resembled  the  drooping 
rosettes  which  unite  the  spring  of  Gothic  arches.     In  one 
portion  of  the  church  is  an  enormous  stone,  carved  out 
exactly  like  the  bishop's  chair,  or  throne,  usually  seen  on 
the  high  altar.     The  altar  itself  is  very  like  those  primitive 
stone   edifices   sculptured  by  the  early  Christians,  when 
driven  to  celebrate   their  worship  in   the   catacombs   of 

Eome. 

This  chamber  is  a  marvellous  freak  of  nature  imitating 
art,  for  the  hand  of  man  has  never  touched  it  or  worked  it 
into  shape ;  yet  if  any  one  were  transported  here  uncon- 
sciously, he  would,  on  looking  round,  imagine  himself  in 
the  chancel  crypt  of  some  old  cathedral  of  the  ninth  or 
tenth  century.     Some  romantic  lovers,  evidently  influenced 
by  this  idea,  had  actually,  a  few  weeks  before  our  visit,  ar- 
rived at  the  cave,  accompanied  by  their  friends  and  the 
clergyman,  and  caused  the  marriage  ceremony  to  be  per- 
formed in  that  very  church.     It  was  a  whimsical  idea, 
and  must  have  been  a  cold,  comfortless,  clammy  affair ;  but 
the  feelings  and  sentiment  about  weddings  totally  differ  in 
America  from  our  European  notions  on  the  subject,— rarely 
is  it  a  joyous  merry-making,  rather  the  reverse,  as  I  have 
mentioned  in  a  former  chapter. 

A  few  miles  farther  on,  we  came  to  the  great  natural 
marvel,  the  subterranean  river,  with  its  buried  water  and 
eyeless  fish,  its  beautiful  parterres  of  stone  flowers  and 
shrubs,  like  a  garden  covered  with  morning  hoar-frost. 


Yelverton]  IN   THE  MAMMOTH  CAVE.  87 

On  this  dismal  river  we  were  launched  in  a  little  skiff,  not 
the  most  seaworthy  in  the  world, — and  I  must  confess  to 
having  experienced  a  feeling  of  dread  of  being  upset  on 
that  mysterious  stream,  whose  outlet  might  be,  for  all  we 
know,  in  a  region  we  did  not  care  to  visit,  or  even  to  con- 
template the  possibility  of  visiting.  The  echo  had  a  thrill 
of  awe  that  made  one's  flesh  creep  and  hair  stand  on  end. 
If  one  called  spirits  there  from  the  vasty  deep,  and  they 
did  not  come,  yet  they  certainly  answered  from  the  dark 
shadows  of  the  rocks  falling  around  the  lurid  glare  of  the 
torches, — the  only  light  on  the  river  of  Erebus.  It  was 
quite  easy  to  believe  there  were  myriads  of  spirits  flitting 
around,  and  stretching  out  their  weird  arms  to  carry  us 
down  to  bottomless  Hades. 

There  is  another  very  interesting  cave,  which  is  not  so 
frequently  visited  by  travellers,  who  when  they  have  seen 
the  big  thing,  are  only  anxious  to  rush  away  again.  It  is 
not  so  extensive  as  the  Mammoth,  but  infinitely  more  beau- 
tiful and  more  inaccessible,  the  descent  having  to  be  accom- 
plished by  ladders ;  but  once  down,  it  is  a  fairy-land,  a 
continuous  scene  of  rapturous  enchantment.  The  stalac- 
tites simulate  the  most  exquisite  parterre  of  flowers,  the 
most  magnificent  forest  of  crystallized  trees,  the  most 
wondrous  marble  carving,  even  to  that  perfection  of  art 
which  shrouds  the  figure  in  transparent  drapery,  like  "  the 
statue  of  the  Dead  Christ"  at  Naples  ;  nor  was  Apollo's 
charm  unknown  there.  Our  guide  tapped  upon  these 
magic  crystals,  and  produced  the  sweetest  harmony  ear 
ever  heard,  or  at  least  it  sounded  so. 

The  walls  of  the  chambers  and  passages  were  encrusted 
with  the  stalactite  flowers.  They  could  be  broken  off  their 
stems,  and  as  so  few  visitors  ventured  down,  the  guide  al- 
lowed me  to  take  one.  One  chamber  was  absolutely  cur- 
tained with  this  marvellous  formation  of  petrified  water, 


gg  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.         [Yelyertow 

and  when  the  guide  held  the  light  behind  the  scene,  it 
produced  the  effect  of  being  draped  in  the  purest  amber. 
These  drooping  curtains,  some  fifty  feet  in  height,  emitted 
the  most  musical  tones  when  struck.  If  the  physician  had 
brought  his  patients  to  these  fairy  bowers,  he  might,  I 
think,  have  succeeded  in  sending  them  home  quite  cured, 
but  I  believe  the  cave  had  not  been  discovered  then. 

With  a  brilliant  light  the  spot  was  perfectly  lovely,  and 
the  atmosphere  was  that  of  constant,  unchanged  temper- 
ature, which  puts  the  human  lungs  in  a  state  of  beatitude. 
I  should  not  in  the  least  object  to  live  in  that  paradise  of 
crystal  flowers  and  adamantine  forms,  the  most  beautiful 
that  the  imagination  of  man  has  ever  conceived  to  be  cur- 
tained in  living  amber,  and  pillowed — well,  I  must  admit 
that— in  dust;  but  it  was  such  clean  dust.  .  .  .  The  texture 
of  these  stalactites,  when  examined  by  daylight,  resembles 
alabaster,  thus  the   leaves,  flowers,   sprigs,  are  perfectly 
beautiful.     Nor  are  these  caves  without  their  incidents  of 
life's  drama.     The  grave  and  the  gay  have  been  enacted 
here  as  elsewhere.     The  episode  of  the  physician  and  his 
patients  was  sad  enough,  but  a  more  terrible  tragedy  re- 
sulted from  a  wager. 

The  guides  are  particular  on  entering  the  caves  with  a 
large  party  to  beg  them  to  keep  together,  as  it  would  be 
impossible  for  a  person  to  find  his  own  way  out  of  the 
labyrinth  of  passages,  chambers,  etc.  Two  gentlemen  of 
a  party  made  a  bet  that  they  would  accomplish  the  feat, 
and,  taking  their  opportunity,  slipped  away  from  their 
party,  without  the  guides  being  aware  of  their  absence, 
and  it  was  not  until  late  in  the  evening  that  the  other 
party  to  the  wager  remarked  that  those  two  foolhardy 
fellows  had  not  found  their  way  out  of  the  cavern.  This 
coming  to  the  ears  of  the  guide,  he  exclaimed,  "  Then  they 
are  dead  men !"     Nevertheless  they  went  in  full  force  to 


Yelverton]  ry  THE  MAMMOTH  CAVE.  89 

do  everything  that  was  possible  to  find  them,  but  spent 
the  night  in  vain  searches.  Sometimes  they  came  upon 
their  track  in  the  soft  dust,  then  lost  it  again. 

On  the  following  day  the  search  was  renewed  by  the 
guide  who  had  escorted  the  party,  and  his  description  of 
the  finding  of  one  of  the  gentlemen  was  truly  horrible: 
"  It  was  the  most  tarnation  cutting  up  job  I  ever  had  in 
my  life,"  said  the  guide.  "  We  are  not  much  of  cowards, 
we  guides, — we  get  accustomed  to  awfulness  down  in  the 
bowels  of  the  earth ;  but  when  that  critter's  shrieks  first 
came  to  my  ear,  I  just  shivered  all  over  and  my  feet  rooted 
to  the  ground, — not  that  I  did  not  wish  to  save  him,  the 
poor  devil,  but  I  got  an  idea  that  that  shriek  came  right 
straight  from  hell  and  no  mistake,  and  I  had  no  fancy  to  go 
there  before  I  was  sent  for !  Wall,  when  I  had  wiped  my 
brow  and  taken  a  drink,  I  went  on  in  the  direction  of  the 
sound,  for  it  came  every  now  and  again,  the  echoes  making 
like  fifty  devils  instead  of  one.  I  found  him  sooner  than  I 
expected  ;  he  was  a  sight  to  behold  ;  he  flew  at  me  like  a 
tiger ;  he  clutched  me,  and  pulled  me,  and  wrestled  with  me, 
yelling  and  howling  like  a  wild  beast.  I  thought  he  would 
have  torn  me  to  pieces.  I  should  not  have  known  him 
again  for  the  same  gentleman.  His  eyes  glared,  his  mouth 
was  foaming,  and  his  hair  on  end,  his  clothes  all  torn  and 
covered  with  dust.  He  was  a  real  raving  maniac,  and  so 
he  remained,  as  far  as  I  know.  The  work  I  had  to  get 
him  out  of  that  cave!  He  would  stand  stock  still  and 
shake  all  over,  then  suddenly  clutch  at  me  again.  I  was 
the  stronger  man  of  the  two,  and  he  was  weak  from  long 
fasting,  or  I  never  should  have  got  him  out.  The  doctor 
said  he  was  fright-stricken." 

And  this  was  the  case,  as  they  thought,  with  the  other 
poor  fellow,  who  was  not  found  for  weeks,  it  having  been 
conjectured  that  he  had  fallen  down  a  hole.     One  of  the 

8* 


90  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Nichols 

guides  making  some  new  exploration,  discovered  him  sit- 
ting down,  no  sign  of  decomposition  having  taken  place, 
and  no  sign  of  his  having  died  of  starvation,  for  a  piece 
of  biscuit  was  found  in  his  pocket.    He  was  supposed  to 
have  died  of  terror,  the  terrible  darkness  working  upon 
the  nervous  system,  and  the  hopelessness  of  penetrating 
it  making  the  minutes  appear  hours.     A  guide  who  had 
once  been  lost  there  himself  for  some  twenty  hours,  said 
he  never  could  believe  he  had  not  been  there  for  several 
days. 


DOWN  THE  OHIO  AND  MISSISSIPPI. 

THOMAS  L.  NICHOLS. 

r«  Forty  Years  of  American  Life,"  by  Dr.  Thomas  L.  Nichols,  is 
the  source  of  the  following  selection,  which  gives  a  graphic. and  inter- 
esting picture  of  steamboat  life  on  the  great  rivers  of  the  West  in  the 
days  before  the  war.  It  needs  only  one  thing  to  complete  the  story 
the  race  and  the  explosion,  which  was  no  uncommon  incident  at  that 
period,  but  an  example  of  which,  fortunately  for  our  author,  was 
not  among  his  experiences.] 

We  embarked  on  a  little  steamboat  which  drew  twelve 
inches  of  water,  and  whose  single  wide  paddle-wheel  was 
at  the  stern,  and  extended  the  whole  width  of  the  hull.  A 
succession  of  dams  made  the  river  navigable  at  that  season 
of  low  water,  and  at  each  dam  we  were  let  down  by  a  lock 
to  a  lower  level.  At  the  high  stage  of  water  dams  and 
locks  are  all  buried  deep  beneath  the  surface,  and  larger 
steamboats  go  careering  over  them. 

What  I  best  remember,  in  crossing  the  Alleghames  and 
descending  this  river,  were  the  beds  of  coal.  It  seemed  to 
be  everywhere  just  below  the  surface.    We  saw  it  along  the 


Nichols]    DOWN  THE  OHIO  AND  MISSISSIPPI.  91 

route,  where  the  people  dug  the  fuel  for  their  fires  out  of  a 
hole  in  the  yard,  ten  feet  from  the  door.  Along  the  high 
perpendicular  banks  of  the  river  there  were  strata  of  coal 
ten  or  twelve  feet  thick.  Men  were  digging  it  down  with 
picks  and  sliding  it  into  flat-boats,  which,  when  the  river 
rose,  would  float  down  with  the  current  to  Cincinnati, 
Louisville,  Memphis,  and  New  Orleans.  These  frail  boats 
— long  boxes  made  of  deal  boards  nailed  together,  and 
loaded  nearly  to  the  top — would  many  of  them  be  lost. 
The  swell  of  a  passing  steamboat,  or  a  snag  or  a  sawyer 
in  the  river,  would  sink  them.  They  would  ground  on 
sand-bars.  A  sudden  hurricane  sometimes  sinks  a  hundred 
of  them.  Perhaps  a  third  of  the  whole  number  are  lost, 
but  the  coal  costs  almost  nothing — three  halfpence  a  bushel 
— and  brings  a  price  proportional  to  the  distance  which  it 
floats  in  safety. 

At  Pittsburg,  a  city  of  coal  and  iron,  smoky  and  grimy  as 
Newcastle  or  Birmingham,  we  took  a  larger  boat,  but  still 
a  small  one,  for  Cincinnati.  The  Ohio  was  very  low.  We 
passed  slowly  down,  getting  pleasant  glimpses  of  the  towns 
upon  its  banks,  and  especial'y  of  the  flourishing  cities  of 
Cincinnati  and  Louisville. 

I  was  disappointed  with  the  Ohio  for  a  few  hundred  miles 
from  its  source,  most  unreasonable  tourist  that  I  was.  I 
recall  whatever  I  may  have  said  to  its  disparagement.  The 
Ohio,  charming  in  all  its  course  of  a  thousand  miles,  be- 
comes grandly  beautiful  below  Louisville  for  the  lower 
half  of  its  course.  Were  it  but  deep  as  well  as  broad  and 
splendid  in  its  great  reaches,  and  graceful  curves  and  pic- 
turesque banks,  nothing  would  be  wanting  to  its  pleasing 
souvenirs.  But  I  have  tried  its  current  at  an  unfortunate 
period, — the  river  at  its  lowest  point.  At  its  highest  it 
would  be  fifty  feet  deeper, — a  great  torrent  pouring  onward 
towards  the  sea.  • 


92  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Nichols 

We  were  all  of  us  in  high  spirits  on  the  "  Fort  Wayne." 
The  crew  was  firing  up,  and  singing  merrily  below  ;  and  in 
the  cabin  we  were  sitting  round  our  good  coal-fire,  chat- 
ting, reading,  and  some  playing  poker,  calculating  the  next 
morning  but  one  to  wake  upon  the  Mississippi.  So  passed 
we  down  merrily,  until,  sunk  upon  a  bar,  we  saw  the  wreck 
of  the  steamboat "  Plymouth,"  which  two  nights  before  had 
been  run  into  by  another  boat,  which  sunk  her  instantly, 
and  her  deck-passengers  woke  up  under  the  waters  of  the 
Ohio.  Twenty  unfortunates  were  drowned;  and  our  pas- 
sengers, accustomed  to  the  river,  spoke  of  it  with  perfect 
indifference,  as  a  very  common  affair. 

We  passed  this  bar  safely,  touching  bottom  indeed,  as 
we  often  did ;  but  in  passing  over  the  next  we  grounded 
firm  and  fast.     The  engines  were  worked  at  their  greatest 
power,  but  in  vain.     Efforts  were  made  all  day  to  get  the 
boat  off,  but  without  moving  her,  and  older  voyagers  began 
to  tell  pleasant  stories  of  boats  lying  for  three  weeks  on  a 
sand-bar,  and  getting  out  of  provisions  and  wood.     For  us 
passengers  there  was  but  patience,  but  for  captain  and  crew 
there  was  a  hard  night's  work  in  a  cold  November  rain. 
They  went  at  it  heartily,  and  when  we  woke  up  in  the 
morning  the  steamboat  was  afloat,  and  as  soon  as  she  had 
got  in  a  fresh  supply  of  wood  we  went  merrily  down  the 
Ohio  again,  putting  off  by  a  day  our  arrival  at  the  Father 
of  Waters.     So  we  went,  talking  on   morals  and  politics, 
reading  the  "  Wandering  Jew,"  and  playing  poker,  until 
dinner  came  ;  and  just  after  dinner  we  came  to  another  bar, 
on  which  we  ran  as  before,  giving  our  crew  a  second  night 
of  hardship  and  toil,  and  us  a  more  thorough  disgust  of 
low-water  navigation.     We  got  off  by  morning  as  before, 
by  great   exertion   and   the   steady  use  of  effective    ma- 
chinery, the  boat  being  hoisted  over  the  bar  inch  by  inch 
by  the  aid  of  great  spars,  blocks,  and  windlass. 


Nichols]    DOWN  THE  OHIO  AND  MISSISSIPPI.  93 

There  was  still,  but  a  short  distance  below  this  spot,  the 
worst  bar  of  all  to  pass.  .  .  .  Having  been  twice  aground 
and  lost  nearly  two  days,  our  captain  determined  to  take 
every  precaution.  He  hired  a  flat-boat,  into  which  were 
discharged  many  tons  of  whiskey  and  butter,  and  which 
was  lashed  alongside.  A  boat  was  sent  down  to  sound  the 
channel  and  lay  buoys.  This  done,  just  as  breakfast  was 
ready,  all  the  male  passengers  were  summoned  to  go  on 
board  the  flat-boat,  fastened  alongside,  with  the  butter  and 
whiskey,  so  as  to  lighten  the  steamer  as  much  as  possible, 
and  when  we  were  all  aboard  we  started  down.  As  luck 
would  have  it,  the  current  carried  the  boat  a  few  feet  out 
of  her  proper  course,  and  she  stuck  fast  again.  The  wheels 
could  not  move  her,  and  we  jumped  on  board  again  to  eat 
our  breakfast,  now  grown  cold  from  waiting. 

This  despatched,  we  went  out  on  the  promenade  deck, 
and  to  our  chagrin  saw  the  "Louis  Philippe,"  which  left 
Louisville  one  day  behind  us,  coming  down,  looking  light 
and  lofty,  with  a  flat-boat  alongside.  She  came  down 
rapidly,  and  passed  close  by  us,  her  passengers  laughing  in 
triumph  at  our  predicament.  The  "Louis  Philippe"  had 
not  got  her  length  below  us  before  she  too  stuck  fast  and 
swung  round  into  a  more  difficult  position,  lying  broadside 
upon  the  bar,  with  the  strong  current  full  against  her. 
The  laugh  was  now  on  our  side,  and  the  "Louis  Philippe" 
gave  rise  to  the  more  jokes,  because  her  hurricane-deck 
was  entirely  covered  with  cabbages,  with  their  stumps 
sticking  up,  giving  her  a  droll  appearance,  while  our  hur- 
ricane-deck was  filled  with  chicken-coops.  It  was  time 
now  to  go  to  work  in  earnest.  More  freight  was  dis- 
charged into  our  lighter,  and  all  the  passengers,  except  the 
women  and  children,  were  sent  on  board  her.  We  thickly 
covered  the  barrels  of  whiskey  and  kegs  of  butter,  and  the 
captain,  to  keep  us  off"  the  steamer,  cast  us  loose,  and  we 


94  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Nichols 

floated  off  with  the  current,  and  were  safely  blown  ashore 
on  the  Kentucky  side,  about  a  mile  below,  leaving  the  two 
steamers  above  to  get  off  as  soon  as  they  were  able. 

When  our  flat-boat  touched  the  Kentucky  bank  of  the 
river,  her  ninety  passengers  jumped  joyfully  ashore,  and 
with  noisy  hilarity  scattered  along  the  beach.  The  morn- 
ing was  beautiful.  The  clear  sunlight  glittered  upon  the 
river  and  lighted  up  the  forest  with  golden  radiance.  The 
sky  was  blue,  and  the  air  cool  and  bracing.  The  land  was 
high,  well  wooded,  and  fertile.  Seeing  a  substantial- 
looking  double  log  house  a  short  distance  from  the  river, 
about  a  dozen  of  us  went  up  to  warm  our  fingers  at  its 

fire.  .  .  . 

In  a  few  moments  our  lucky  boat  swung  round  and 
came  down  for  us,  leaving  the  less  fortunate  «  Louis  Phi- 
lippe"  to  get  off  as  she  could,  and  her  passengers  to  learn 
not  to  halloo  before  they  got  out  of  the  wood.  And  now— 
now,  by  the  first  light  of  the  morning  for  this  grand,  this 
terrible  Mississippi! 

It  was  a  misty  moonlight  night  when  we  came  to  the 
confluence  of  the  Ohio  with  the  Mississippi.  We  had  come 
down  a  tedious,  and  in  some  degree  a  perilous,  course  of 
one  thousand  miles ;  we  had  still  a  thousand  miles  to  go 
before  arriving  at  New  Orleans,  which  is  the  next  stage  of 
our  Southern  journey. 

The  Mississippi  and  the  Ohio  come  together  at  an  acute 
angle,  and  their  waters  flow  down  in  unmingled  currents, 
differing  in  color,  for  a  long  distance.  Even  at  night  we 
could  distinguish  the  line  which  divides  them.  The  Ohio 
water  is  filled  with  fine  sand  and  loam  ;  the  Mississippi  is 
discolored  with  clay  besides,  and  the  water  looks  like  a  tub 
of  soapsuds  after  a  hard  day's  washing. 

Whoever  looks  upon  the  map  with  a  utilitarian  eye  sees 
at  the  confluence  of  these  great  rivers  a  favorable  point 


Nichols]    DOWN  THE   OHIO  AND  MISSISSIPPI.  95 

for  a  great  city.  A  few  years  since  an  English  company 
took  possession  of  or  purchased  this  site,  and,  with  a  capital 
of  nearly  a  million  of  pounds  sterling,  commenced  opera- 
tions. They  lithographed  plans  of  the  city  and  views  of 
the  public  buildings.  There  were  domes,  spires,  and  cupo- 
las, hotels,  warehouses,  and  lines  of  steamboats  along  both 
rivers.  How  fair,  how  magnificent  it  all  looked  on  the 
India  paper !  You  should  see  the  result  as  I  saw  it  in  the 
misty  miasma,  by  the  pale  moonlight.  Cairo  is  a  swamp, 
overflowed  by  every  rise  of  either  river.  The  large  hotel, 
one  of  the  two  buildings  erected,  is  slowly  sinking  beneath 
the  surface.  Piles  will  not  stand  up,  and,  however  deep 
they  are  driven,  sink  still  deeper.  The  present  business 
of  the  place,  consisting  of  selling  supplies  to  steamboats, 
and  transferring  passengers  from  the  down-  to  the  up-river 
boats,  is  done  on  floating  store-boats,  made  fast  to  the 
shore.  Cairo  has  since  been  built  into  a  considerable  town 
by  dyking  out  the  rivers,  and  was  an  important  naval  and 
military  point  during  the  Civil  War.  .  .  . 

This  is  my  thirteenth  day  of  steamboating, — the  usual 
time  across  the  Atlantic, — and  I  have  four  days  more  at 
least.  You  may  well  suppose  that  a  hundred  passengers 
are  put  to  their  trumps  for  amusement.  The  "Wandering 
Jew"  did  very  well  as  long  as  it  lasted.  Some  keep  on 
reading  novels,  having  laid  in  a  stock  or  exchanged  with 
other  passengers,  but  cards  are  the  resource  of  the  ma- 
jority. The  centre-tables,  as  soon  as  breakfast  is  over, 
are  occupied  with  parties  playing  poker  or  loo,  and  are  cov- 
ered with  bank-notes  and  silver.  Many  who  do  not  play 
look  on  to  see  the  frolics  of  fortune.  Several  of  these 
players  are  professional  gamesters,  and  quite  cool,  as  men 
who  hope  to  win  by  chance  or  skill  ought  to  be.  Others, 
in  their  flushing  cheeks  and  trembling  hands  and  voices, 
show  how  the  passion  is  fastening  upon  them.    These  are 


96  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Nichols 

driven  by  weariness  and  tempted  by  the  smallness  of  the 
game  to  commence  playing.  The  passion  increases  day 
by  day,  and  so  do  the  stakes,  until,  before  reaching  New 
Orleans,  the  verdant  ones  have  lost  all  their  money,  and 
with  it  their  self-respect  and  their  confidence  in  the  future. 
Depressed  by  shame,  disheartened  at  being  in  a  strange 
city  without  money,  they  are  in  a  miserable  condition,  and 
ready  to  throw  themselves  away.  They  become  dependent 
upon  the  blacklegs  who  have  led  them  on,  are  instructed 
in  their  evil  courses,  made  their  tools  and  catspaws,  and 
perhaps  induced  to  enter  upon  courses  of  crime  of  a  more 
dangerous  character.  All  this  comes  of  playing  cards  to 
kill  time  on  the  Mississippi. 

While  those  who  need  the  excitement  of  betting  play  at 
games  of  bluff  and  poker,  some  amuse  themselves  with 
whist,  and  old-fashioned  fellows  get  into  a  corner  and  have 
a  bout  at  old  sledge ;  and  now  at  eleven  o'clock  the  great 
cabin  of  our  boat  presents  a  curious  appearance.  Playing 
around  the  tables,  with  noisy,  joyous  laughter,  are  half  a 
dozen  merry  little  boys  and  girls.  These  have  all  got  well 
acquainted  with  each  other,  and  seem  to  enjoy  themselves 

thorough \y. 

I  can  give  you  little  idea  of  this  portion  of  the  Missis- 
sippi. The  river  is  very  low,  and  does  not  seem  large 
enough  to  be  the  outlet  of  the  thousand  streams  above ; 
for  the  waters  on  which  we  float  come  not  only  from  the 
melting  snows  of  the  Eocky  Mountains,  but  there  are 
mingled  with  them  the  bright  springs  of  Western  New 
York,  a  large  part  of  Pennsylvania,  part  of  Maryland,  Vir- 
ginia, North  Carolina,  and  a  large  portion  of  the  Western 
States.  Yet,  with  all  the  waters  of  this  vast  area,  our  boat 
can  sometimes  scarcely  keep  the  channel.  Last  night, 
running  at  her  full  speed,  she  went  crashing  into  a  snag, 
with  a  concussion  and  scraping  which  woke  us  all  up,  and 


Nichols]    DOWN  THE  OHIO  AND  MISSISSIPPI.  97 

made  the  timid  ones  spring  out  of  their  berths.  Our 
safety  was  in  our  going  down-stream  instead  of  up, — the 
difference  of  rubbing  the  back  of  a  hedgehog  the  right  and 
the  wrong  way.  These  snags  are  great  trees  which  cave 
off  and  are  washed  down  the  current;  the  roots  become 
embedded  in  the  bottom;  and  the  stem  and  branches, 
pointing  down-stream,  and  half  or  wholly  covered  with 
water,  form  a  terrible  steamboat  de  frise,  which  tears  an 
ascending  steamboat  to  pieces,  but  generally  allows  those 
going  with  the  current  to  pass  over  or  through  them  with 
safety. 

The  river  is  full  of  islands,  so  that  you  often  see  but 
a  small  portion  of  its  waters ;  it  winds  along  in  so  many 
convolutions  that  you  must  steam  a  hundred  miles  often 
to  make  twenty  in  a  straight  line.  Many  of  these  bends 
may  be  avoided  at  high  water  by  taking  the  cross  cuts, 
called  "running  a  chute"  when  the  whole  country  for 
twenty  miles  on  each  side  is  submerged. 

Usually,  on  one  side  or  the  other,  there  is  a  perpendicular 
bank  of  clay  and  loam  some  thirty  feet  high,  and  here  and 
there  are  small  plantations.  The  river  gradually  wears 
them  off,  carrying  down  whole  acres  in  a  season.  From 
this  bank  the  land  descends  back  to  the  swamps  which 
skirt  nearly  the  whole  length  of  the  river.  These,  in  very 
low  water  are  comparatively  dry,  but  as  the  river  rises 
they  fill  up,  and  the  whole  country  is  like  a  great  lake, 
filled  with  a  dense  growth  of  timber.  These  curving  banks, 
the  rude  and  solitary  huts  of  the  wood-cutters,  the  vast 
bars  of  sand,  covered  gradually  with  canebrake,  and  the 
range  of  impenetrable  forest  for  hundreds  of  miles,  com- 
prise a  vast  gloomy  landscape,  which  must  be  seen  to  be 
realized.  .  .  . 

While  the  scene  is  fresh  in  my  memory  let  mc  describe 
to  you  my  last  morning  upon  the  Mississippi.     But  why  do 

I.  —  B  g  9 


98  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Nichols 

I  speak  thus  of  a  scene  which  can  never  fade  from  my 
remembrance,  but  in  all  future  years  will  glow  the  bright- 
est picture  which  nature  and  civilization  have  daguerreo- 
typed  upon  my  heart  ? 

I  rose  before  the  sun,  while  all  the  east  was  glowing  with 
his  refracted  light.  The  steamboat  had  made  excellent 
progress  all  night,  not  being  obliged  to  stop  by  fog,  and  was 
only  detained  a  short  time  by  running  plump  into  the  mud 
on  the  river's  bank ;  but  she  soon  backed  out  of  that  scrape. 

We  had  here,  fifty  miles  above  New  Orleans,  an  almost 
tropical  sunrise.  The  Mississippi,  as  if  tired  of  its  irregu- 
larities, flowed  on  an  even  current  between  its  low  banks, 
along  which  on  each  side  are  raised  embankments  of  earth 
from  four  to  ten  feet  in  height, — the  levee,  which  extends 
for  hundreds  of  miles  along  the  river,  defending  the  planta- 
tions from  being  overflowed  at  high  water. 

As  I  gained  the  hurricane-deck  the  scene  was  enchant- 
ing, and,  alas !  I  fear  indescribable.  On  each  side,  as  far 
as  the  eye  could  reach,  were  scattered  the  beautiful  houses 
of  the  planters,  flanked  on  each  side  by  the  huts  of  their 
negroes,  with  trees,  shrubbery,  and  gardens.  For  miles 
away,  up  and  down  the  river,  extended  the  bright  green 
fields  of  sugar-cane,  looking  more  like  great  fields  of  In- 
dian corn  than  any  crop  to  which  a  Northern  eye  is  fa- 
miliar, but  surpassing  that  in  vividness  of  the  tints  and 
density  of  growth,  the  cane  growing  ten  feet  high,  and  the 
leaves  at  the  top  covering  the  whole  surface.  Back  of 
these  immense  fields  of  bright  green  were  seen  the  darker 
shades  of  the  cypress  swamp,  and,  to  give  the  most  pic- 
turesque effect  to  the  landscape,  on  every  side,  in  the  midst 
of  each  great  plantation,  rose  the  tall  white  towers  of  the 
sugar-mills,  throwing  up  graceful  columns  of  smoke  and 
clouds  of  steam.  The  sugar-making  process  was  in  full 
operation. 


Nichols]    DOWN  THE  OHIO  AND  MISSISSIPPI.  99 

After  the  wild  desolation  of  the  Mississippi,  for  more 
than  half  its  course  below  the  Ohio,  you  will  not  wonder 
that  I  gazed  upon  this  scene  of  wealth  and  beauty  in  a  sort 
of  ecstasy.  Oh !  how  unlike  our  November  in  the  far, 
bleak  north  was  this  scene  of  life  in  Louisiana !  The  earth 
seemed  a  paradise  of  fertility  and  loveliness.  The  sun  rose 
and  lighted  up  with  a  brighter  radiance  a  landscape  of 
which  I  had  not  imagined  half  its  beauty. 

The  steamer  stopped  to  wood,  and  I  sprang  on  shore. 
Well,  the  air  was  as  soft  and  delicious  as  our  last  days  in 
June,- — the  gardens  were  filled  with  flowers ;  yes,  bushels 
of  roses  were  blooming  for  those  who  chose  to  pluck  them  ; 
while  oranges  were  turning  their  green  to  gold,  and  figs 
were  ripening  in  the  sun.  It  was  a  Creole  plantation, — 
French  the  only  language  heard.  A  procession  of  carts, 
each  drawn  by  a  pair  of  mules,  and  driven  by  a  fat  and 
happy  negro,  who  seemed  to  joke  with  every  motion  and 
laugh  all  over  from  head  to  foot,  came  from  the  sugar- 
house  to  get  wood,  of  which  an  immense  quantity  was 
lying  upon  the  banks  of  the  river,  saved  from  the  vast 
mass  of  forest  trees  washed  down  at  every  freshet. 

I  cannot  describe  the  appropriateness  of  everything  on 
these  plantations.  These  Creole  planters  look  as  if  nature 
had  formed  them  for  good  masters ;  in  any  other  sphere 
they  are  out  of  their  element, — here  most  decidedly  at 
home.  The  negroes,  male  and  female,  seem  made  on  pur- 
pose for  their  masters,  and  the  mules  were  certainly  mado 
on  purpose  for  the  negroes.  Any  imaginable  change  would 
destroy  this  harmonious  relation.  Do  they  not  all  enjoy 
alike  this  paradise, — this  scene  of  plenty  and  enchantment? 
The  negroes  work  and  are  all  the  better  for  such  beneficial 
exercise,  as  they  would  be  all  the  worse  without  it.  They 
have  their  feasts,  their  holidays, — more  liberty  than  thou- 
sands of  New  York  mechanics  enjoy  in  their  lifetimes,  and 


100  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Olmsted 

a  freedom  from  care  and  anxiety  which  a  poor  white  man 
never  knows.  I  begin  to  think  that  Paradise  is  on  the 
banks  of  the  Mississippi,  and  that  the  nearest  approach  to 
the  realization  of  the  schemes  of  Fourier  is  on  our  Southern 
plantations. 


FROM  NEW  ORLEANS  TO  RED  RIVER. 

FREDERICK  LAW  OLMSTED. 

[We  have  given  a  descriptive  sketch  of  steamboat  travel  down  the 
Ohio  and  Mississippi  in  the  first  half  of  the  century,  in  what  we  may 
almost  call  the  days  of  the  barbarians.  It  is  here  followed  by  a  sketch 
of  steamboating,  from  New  Orleans  to  and  up  the  Red  River,  in  the 
ante-war  period,  in  which  will  be  found  methods  as  unprogressive 
and  people  as  uncivilized  as  in  any  period  of  modern  travel.  The  get- 
ting off  was  a  marvel  of  procrastination,  worthy  of  the  most  primitive 
days  of  American  travel.] 

On  a  certain  Saturday  morning,  when  I  had  determined 
on  the  trip,  I  found  that  two  boats,  the  "  Swamp  Fox"  and 
the  "  St.  Charles,"  were  advertised  to  leave  the  same  evening 
for  the  Eed  River.  I  went  to  the  levee,  and  finding  the  "  St. 
Charles"  to  be  the  better  of  the  two,  I  asked  her  clerk  if  I 
could  engage  a  state-room.  There  was  just  one  state-room 
berth  left  unengaged ;  I  was  requested  to  place  my  name 
against  its  number  on  the  passenger  book  ;  and  did  so, 
understanding  that  it  was  thus  secured  for  me. 

Having  taken  leave  of  my  friends,  I  had  my  luggage 
brought  down,  and  went  on  board  at  half-past  three, — the 
boat  being  advertised  to  sail  at  four.  Four  o'clock  passed, 
and  freight  was  still  being  taken  on, — a  fire  had  been  made 
in  the  furnace,  and  the  boat's  big  bell  was  rung.  I  noticed 
that  the  "  Swamp  Fox"  was  also  firing  up,  and  that  her  bell 


Olmsted]     FROM  NEW  ORLEANS  TO  RED  RIVER.       101 

rang  whenever  ours  did, — though  she  was  not  advertised  to 
sail  till  five.  At  length,  when  five  o'clock  came,  the  clerk 
told  me  he  thought,  perhaps,  they  would  not  be  able  to  get 
off  at  all  that  night, — there  was  so  much  freight  still  to 
come  on  board.  Six  o'clock  arrived,  and  he  felt  certain 
that,  if  they  did  get  off  that  night,  it  would  not  be  till  very 
late.  At  half-past  six  he  said  the  captain  had  not  come  on 
board  yet,  and  he  was  quite  sure  they  would  not  be  able  to 
get  off  that  night.  I  prepared  to  return  to  the  hotel,  and 
asked  if  they  would  leave  in  the  morning.  He  thought 
not.  He  was  confident  they  would  not.  He  was  positive 
they  could  not  leave  now  before  Monday, — Monday  noon. 
Monday  at  twelve  o'clock, — I  might  rely  upon  it. 

Monday  morning  the  Picayune  stated,  editorially,  that 
the  floating  palace,  the  "  St.  Charles,"  would  leave  for  Shreve- 
port  at  five  o'clock,  and  if  anybody  wanted  to  make  a 
quick  and  luxurious  trip  up  Eed  Eiver  with  a  jolly  good 
soul,  Captain  Lickup  was  in  command.  It  also  stated,  in 
another  paragraph,  that  if  any  of  its  friends  had  any 
business  up  Red  Eiver,  Captain  Pitchup  was  a  whole- 
souled  veteran  in  that  trade,  and  was  going  up  with 
that  remarkably  low-draught  favorite,  the  "  Swamp  Fox," 
to  leave  at  four  o'clock  that  evening.  Both  boats  were 
also  announced,  in  the  advertising  columns,  to  leave  at 
four  o'clock. 

As  the  clerk  had  said  noon,  however,  I  thought  there 
might  have  been  a  misprint  in  the  newspaper  announce- 
ments, and  so  went  on  board  the  "  St.  Charles"  again  before 
twelve.  The  clerk  informed  me  that  the  newspaper  was 
right, — they  had  finally  concluded  not  to  sail  until  four 
o'clock.  Before  four  I  returned  again,  and  the  boat  again 
fired  up,  and  rung  her  bell.  So  did  the  "  Swamp  Fox." 
Neither,  however,  was  quite  ready  to  leave  at  four  o'clock. 
Not  quite  ready  at  five.     Even  at  six — not  yet  quite  ready. 

9* 


${02  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Olmstbd 

At  seven,  the  fires  having  burned  out  in  the  furnace,  and 
the  stevedores  having  gone  away,  leaving  a  quantity 
of  freight  yet  on  the  dock,  without  advising  this  time 
with  the  clerk,  I  had  my  baggage  re-transferred  to  the 

hotel.  , 

A  similar  performance  was  repeated  on  luesday. 
On  Wednesday  I  found  the  berth  1  had  engaged  occu- 
pied by  a  very  strong  man,  who  was  not  very  polite  when 
I  informed  him  that  I  believed  there  was  some  mistake- 
that  the  berth  he  was  using  had  been  engaged  to  me     1 
went  to  the  clerk,  who  said  that  he  was  sorry  but  that,  as 
I  had  not  stayed  on  board  that  night,  and  had  not  paid  for 
the  berth,  he  had  not  been   sure  that  I  should  go,  and  he 
hud,  therefore,  given  it  to  the  gentleman  who  now  had  it 
in  possession,  and  whom,  he  thought,  it  would  no   be  best 
to  try  to  reason  out  of  it.    He  was  very  busy,  he  observed 
because  the  boat  was  going  to  start  at  four  o clock;  if 
I  would  now  pay  him  the  price  of  passage,  he  would  do 
the  best  he  could  for  me.    When  he  had  time  to  examine, 
he  would  probably  put  me  in  some  other  state-room,  per- 
haps quite'as  good  a  one  as  that  I  had  lost     Meanwhile 
he  kindly  offered  me  the  temporary  use  of  his  private 
state-room.     I  inquired  if  it  was  quite  certain  that  the 
bolt  would  get  off  at  four ;  for  I  had  been  asked  to  dine 
with  a  friend  at  three  o'clock.    There  was  not  the  smalles 
doubt  of  it,-at  four  they  would  leave.     They  were  all 
ready  at  that  moment,  and  only  waited  till  four  because 
the  agent  had  advertised  that  they  would,-merely  a  tech- 
nical point  of  honor. 

But,  by  some  error  of  calculation,  I  suppose,  she  didn  t 

o-n  at  four     Nor  at  five.     Nor  at  six. 
S  A   seven  o'clock  the  «  Swamp  Fox"  and  the  "St.  Charles" 
were  both  discharging  dense  smoke  from  the.r  ch.mneys 
blowing  steam,  and  ringing  bells.    It  was  obv.ous  that 


Olmsted]     FROM  NEW  ORLEANS  TO  RED  RIVER.       103 

each  was  making  every  exertion  to  get  off  before  the 
other.  The  captains  of  both  boats  stood  at  the  break  of 
the  hurricane-deck,  apparently  waiting  in  great  impatience 
for  the  mails  to  come  on  board. 

The  "  St.  Charles"  was  crowded  with  passengers,  and  her 
decks  were  piled  high  with  freight.  Bumboatmen,  about 
the  bows,  were  offering  shells,  and  oranges,  and  bananas ; 
aud  newsboys,  and  peddlers,  and  tract  distributors  were 
squeezing  about  with  their  wares  among  the  passengers. 
I  bad  confidence  in  their  instinct;  there  had  been  no  such 
numbers  of  them  the  previous  evenings,  and  I  made  up  my 
mind,  although  past  seven  o'clock,  that  the  "St.  Charles" 
would  not  let  her  fires  go  down  again. 

Among  the  peddlers  there  were  two  of  cheap  "  litera- 
ture," and  among  their  yellow  covers  each  had  two  or 
three  copies  of  the  cheap  edition  (pamphlet)  of  "  Uncle 
Tom's  Cabin."  They  did  not  cry  it  out  as  they  did  the 
other  books  they  had,  but  held  it  forth  among  others,  so 
that  its  title  could  be  seen.  One  of  them  told  me  he  car- 
ried it  because  gentlemen  often  inquired  for  it,  and  he  sold 
a  good  many ;  at  least  three  copies  were  sold  to  passengers 
on  the  boat.  .  .  . 

It  was  twenty  minutes  after  seven  when  the  captain 
observed, — scanning  the  levee  in  every  direction  to  see  if 
there  was  another  cart  or  carriage  coming  towards  us, — 
"No  use  waiting  any  longer,  I  reckon:  throw  oft',  Mr. 
Heady."  (The  "  Swamp  Fox"  did  not  leave,  1  afterwards 
heard,  till  the  following  Saturday.) 

We  backed  out,  winded  round  head  up,  and  as  we  began 
to  breast  the  current,  a  dozen  of  the  negro  boat-hands, 
standing  on  the  freight  piled  up  on  the  low  forecastle, 
began  to  sing,  waving  hats  and  handkerchiefs,  and  shirts 
lashed  to  poles,  towTards  the  people  who  stood  on  the  sterna 
of  the  steamboats  at  the  levee. 


104  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Olmstkd 

After  losing  a  few  lines,  I  copied  literally  into  my  note 

book : 

"Ye  see  dem  boat  way  dah  ahead. 

Chorus.  — Oahoiohieu. 
De  San  Charles  is  arter  'em,  dey  mus'  go  behine. 

Oahoiohieu. 
So  stir  up  dah,  my  livelies,  stir  her  up. 

Oahoiohieu. 
Day's  burnin'  not'n  but  fat  and  rosum. 

Oahoiohieu. 
Oh,  we  is  gwine  up  de  Red  River,  oh  ! 

Oahoiohieu. 
Oh,  we  mus'  part  from  you  dah  asho'. 

Oahoiohieu. 
Gib  my  lub  to  Dinah,  oh  I 

Oahoiohieu."  .  .  . 

The  wit  introduced  into  these  songs  has,  I  suspect,  been 
rather  over-estimated. 

As  soon  as  the  song  was  ended,  I  went  into  the  cabin  to 
remind  the  clerk  to  obtain  a  berth  for  me.  I  found  two 
brilliant  supper-tables  reaching  the  whole  length  of  the 
long  cabin,  and  a  file  of  men  standing  on  each  side  of  both 
of  them,  ready  to  take  seats  as  soon  as  the  signal  was  given. 

The  clerk  was  in  his  room,  with  two  other  men,  and 
appeared  to  be  more  occupied  than  ever.  His  manner 
was,  I  thought,  now  rather  cool,  not  to  say  rude ;  and  he 
very  distinctly  informed  me  that  every  berth  was  occupied, 
and  he  didn't  know  where  I  was  to  sleep.  He  judged  I 
was  able  to  take  care  of  myself;  and  if  I  was  not,  he  was 
quite  sure  he  had  too  much  to  do  to  give  all  his  time  to 
my  surveillance.  I  then  went  to  the  commander,  and  told 
him  that  I  thought  myself  entitled  to  a  berth.  I  had  paid 
for  one,  and  should  not  have  taken  passage  in  the  boat  if 
it  had  not  been  promised  me.  I  was  not  disposed  to  fight 
for  it,  particularly  as  the  gentleman  occupying  the  berth 
engaged  to  me  was  a  deal  bigger  fellow  than  I,  and  also 


Olmsted]     FROM  NEW  ORLEANS   TO  RED  RIVER.       105 

carried  a  bigger  knife,  but  I  thought  the  clerk  was  account- 
able to  me  for  a  berth,  and  I  begged  that  he  would  inform 
him  so.  He  replied  that  the  clerk  probably  knew  his 
business ;  he  had  nothing  to  do  with  it  j  and  walked  away 
from  me.  I  then  addressed  myself  to  a  second  clerk,  or 
sub-officer  of  some  denomination,  who  more  good-naturedly 
informed  me  that  half  the  company  were  in  the  same  con- 
dition as  myself,  and  I  needn't  be  alarmed,  cots  would  be 
provided  for  us. 

As  I  saw  that  the  supper-table  was  likely  to  be  crowded, 
I  asked  if  there  would  bo  a  second  table.  "  Yes,  they'll  keep 
on  eating  till  they  all  get  through."  I  walked  the  deck 
till  I  saw  those  who  had  been  first  seated  at  the  table 
coming  out ;  then,  going  in,  I  found  the  table  still  crowded, 
while  many  stood  waiting  to  take  seats  as  fast  as  any  were 
vacated.  I  obtained  one  for  myself  at  length,  and  had  no 
sooner  occupied  it  than  two  half-intoxicated  and  garrulous 
men  took  the  adjoining  stools. 

It  was  near  nine  o'clock  before  the  tables  were  cleared 
away,  and  immediately  afterwards  the  waiters  began  to 
rig  a  framework  for  sleeping-cots  in  their  place.  These 
cots  were  simply  canvas  shelves,  five  feet  and  a  half  long, 
two  wide,  and  less  than  two  feet  apart,  perpendicularly. 
A  waiter,  whose  good  will  I  had  purchased  at  the  supper- 
table,  gave  me  a  hint  to  secure  one  of  them  for  myself,  as 
soon  as  they  were  erected,  by  putting  my  hat  in  it.  I  did 
so,  and  saw  that  others  did  the  same.  I  chose  a  cot  as 
near  as  possible  to  the  midship  door  of  the  cabin,  perceiving 
that  there  was  not  likely  to  be  the  best  possible  air,  after 
all  the  passengers  were  laid  up  for  the  night  in  this  com- 
pact manner. 

Nearly  as  fast  as  the  cots  were  ready  they  were  occu- 
pied. To  make  sure  that  mine  was  not  stolen  from  me,  I 
also,  without  much  undressing,  laid  myself  away.     A  singlo 


106  HALF.JIOVRS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Olmsted 

blanket  was  the  only  bedclothing  provided.  I  had  not 
„  long  before  I  i  driven,  by  an  excee  ingiy •  oftn-v. 
smell  to  search  for  a  cleaner  neighborhood ,  but  1  found 
nU  he  cots,  fore  and  aft,  were  either  occnpied  or  engaged, 
mediately  returned,  and  that  I  might  have  termer 
ressort  left  my  shawl  in  that  I  had  first  obtamed. 

In  the  forward  part  of  the  cabin  there  was  a  bar,  a 
Jve  a  table  and  a  placard  of  roles,  forbidding  smokmg, 
garbling  o-wearinPg  in  the  cabin,  and  a  dose  company 
of  drinkers,  smokers,  card-players,  and  cons  tut  wearer^ 
I  went  ont,  and  stepped  down  to  the  hoiler-decfc  The 
boat  bad  been  provided  with  very  poor  wood,  and  the  fire- 
ten  were  crowding  it  into  the  furnaces  whenever  they 
Tnld  find  room  Jit,  driving  smaller  sticks  between  the 
larger  ones  at  the  top  by  a  battering-ram  method 

Most  of  the  firemen  were  Irish  born;  one  with .whom  I 
conversed  was  English.  He  said  they  were  divided  into 
hree  watches,  each"  working  fonr  honrs  at  a  time  and  al 
hinds  liable  ;»  be  called,  when  wood  ng  or  tending^  or 
tnldnir  on  freight,  to  assist  the  deck-hands.  Ihey  were 
la  d  mTbut  t!irty  do.lars  a  -nth-ordinarily  forty,  and 
1  •  •   +.r     inn  hoard      He  was  a  sailor  bred.     Inw 

tT  H^Slan^faring,  bnt  the  pay  was  better 
boat-me  w<t»  regular  th  ng  was  to  make 

trios  "on  end"  was  as  mnch  as  a  man  conld  s  and.  He 
Zt  then  take  a  "refreshment."  Working  this  way  for 
Three  weeks,  and  then  refreshing  for  abont  one,  he  did  not 
Sen  was'  nnhealthy.no  more  than  ordinary  eeatang. 
He  concluded  by  informing  me  that  the  most  striking 
necoharity  of  the  business  was  that  it  kept  a  man,  not- 
Ssta  ding  whoiesale  periodical  refreshment,  very  dry 
He  was  of  opinion  that  after  the  mformaUon  I  had  ob 


Olmsted]     FROM  NEW  ORLEANS   TO  RED  RIVER.       107 

tained,  if  I  gave  him  at  least  the  price  of  a  single  drink 
and  some  tobacco,  it  would  be  characteristic  of  a  gentle- 
man. 

Going  round  behind  the  furnace,  I  found  a  large  quantity 
of  freight:  hogsheads,  barrels,  cases,  bales,  boxes,  nail- 
rods,  rolls  of  leather,  ploughs,  cotton,  bale-rope,  and  fire- 
wood, all  thrown  together  in  the  most  confused  manner, 
with  hot  steam-pipes  and  parts  of  the  engine  crossing 
through  it.  As  I  explored  farther  aft,  I  found  negroes 
lying  asleep  in  all  postures  upon  the  freight.  A  single 
group  only,  of  five  or  six,  appeared  to  be  awake,  and  as  I 
drew  near  they  commenced  to  sing  a  Methodist  hymn,  not 
loudly,  as  negroes  generally  do,  but,  as  it  seemed  to  me, 
with  a  good  deal  of  tenderness  and  feeling;  a  few  Avhite 
people — men,  women,  and  children — were  lying  here  and 
there  among  the  negroes.  Altogether,  I  learned  we  had 
two  hundred  of  these  deck  passengers,  black  and  white. 
A  stove,  by  which  they  could  fry  bacon,  was  the  only  fur- 
niture provided  for  them  by  the  boat.  They  carried  with 
them  their  provisions  for  the  voyage,  and  had  their  choice 
of  the  freight  for  beds. 

As  I  came  to  the  bows  again,  and  was  about  to  ascend 
to  the  cabin,  two  men  came  down,  one  of  whom  I  recog- 
nized to  have  been  my  cot  neighbor.  "  Where's  a  bucket  ?" 
said  he.  "  By  thunder,  this  fellow  was  so  strong  I  could 
not  sleep  by  him,  so  I  stumped  him  to  come  down  and 
wash  his  feet."  "I  am  much  obliged  to  you,"  said  I; 
and  I  was,  very  much ;  the  man  had  been  lying  in  the 
cot  beneath  mine,  to  which  I  now  returned,  and  soon  fell 
asleep. 

I  awoke  about  midnight.  There  was  an  unusual  jar  in 
the  boat,  and  an  evident  excitement  among  people  whom  I 
could  hear  talking  on  deck.  I  rolled  out  of  my  cot  and 
stepped  out  on  the  gallery.      The  steamboat  "Kimball" 


108  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Olmsted 

was  running  head-and-head  with  us,  and  so  close  that  one 
might  have  jumped  easily  from  our  paddle-box  on  to  her 
guards.  A  few  other  passengers  had  turned  out  besides 
myself,  and  most  of  the  waiters  were  leaning  on  the  rail 
of  the  gallery. 

Occasionally  a  few  words  of  banter  passed  between  them 

and  the  waiters  of  the  «  Kimball ;"  below,  the  firemen  were 

shouting  as  they  crowded  the  furnaces,  and  some  one  could 

be  heard  cheering  them :  "  Shove  her  up,  boys !     Shove  her 

up !  Give  her  hell  I"    "  She's  got  to  hold  a  conversation  with 

us  before  she  gets  by,  anyhow,"  said  one  of  the  negroes. 

«  Ye  har  that  ar'  whistlin'  ?"  said  a  white  man ;  "  tell  ye 

thar  ain't  any  too  much  water  in  her  bilers  when  ye  har 

that."     I  laughed   silently,  but  was  not  without  a  slight 

expectant  sensation,  which   Burke    would  perhaps   have 

called   sublime.     At   length  the   "Kimball"   drew  slowly 

ahead,  crossed  our  bow,  and  the  contest  was   given  up. 

«  De  ole  lady  too  heavy,"  said  a  waiter ;  «  if  I  could  pitch  a 

few  ton  of  dat  ar  freight  off  her  bow,  I  bet  de  '  Kimball' 

would  be  askin'  her  to  show  de  way  mighty  quick." 

[Our  traveller  missed  the  experience  which  in  former  days 
travel  now  and  then  very  lively  upon  the  Mississippi,-a  Mow  up  of  one 
or  other  of  the  racing  hoats.     A  hell  was  rung  to  rouse  the  cot-sleepers 
at  half-past  four,  and  the  rest  of  the  day  was  taken  up  in  preparations 
for  and  eating  the  three  meals.] 

Every  part  of  the  boat,  except  the  black  hurricane-deck, 
was  crowded ;  and  so  large  a  number  of  equally  uncom- 
fortable and  disagreeable  men  I  think  I  never  saw  elsewhere 
together.  We  made  very  slow  progress,  landing,  it  seems 
to  me,  after  we  entered  Eed  Eiver,  at  every  «  bend,"  "  bot- 
tom," "bayou,"  "point,"  and  "plantation"  that  came  in 
sight ;  often  for  no  other  object  than  to  roll  out  a  barrel  of 
flour  or  a  keg  of  nails ;  sometimes  merely  to  furnish  news- 


Olmsted]     FROM  NEW  ORLEANS   TO  RED  RIVER.       109 

papers  to  a  wealthy  planter,  who  had  much  cotton  to  send 
to  market,  and  whom  it  was  therefore  desirable  to  please. 

I  was  sitting  one  day  on  the  forward  galley,  watching  a 
pair  of  ducks,  that  were  alternately  floating  on  the  river 
and  flying  farther  ahead  as  the  steamer  approached  them. 
A  man  standing  near  me  drew  a  long-barrelled  and  very 
finely-finished  pistol  from  his  coat-pocket,  and,  resting  it 
against  a  stanchion,  took  aim  at  them.  They  were,  I 
judged,  fully  the  boat's  own  length — not  less  than  two 
hundred  feet — from  us,  and  were  just  raising  their  wings 
to  fly  when  he  fired.  One  of  them  only  rose  ;  the  other 
flapped  round  and  round,  and  when  within  ten  yards  of  the 
boat  dived.  The  bullet  had  broken  its  wing.  So  remark- 
able a  shot  excited,  of  course,  not  a  little  admiration  and 
conversation.  Half  a  dozen  other  men  standing  near  me 
at  once  drew  pistols  or  revolvers  from  under  their  clothing, 
and  several  were  firing  at  floating  chips  or  objects  on  the 
shore.  I  saw  no  more  remarkable  shooting,  however;  and 
that  the  duck  should  have  been  hit  at  such  a  distance  was 
generally  considered  a  piece  of  luck.  A  man  who  had 
been  in  the  "  Hangers"  said  that  all  his  company  could  put 
a  ball  into  a  tree,  the  size  of  a  man's  body,  at  sixty  paces, 
at  every  shot,  with  Colt's  army  revolver,  not  taking  steady 
aim,  but  firing  at  the  jerk  of  the  arm. 

This  pistol  episode  was  almost  the  only  entertainment 
in  which  the  passengers  engaged  themselves,  except  eating, 
drinking,  smoking,  conversation,  and  card-playing.  Gam- 
bling was  constantly  going  on,  day  and  night.  I  don't 
think  there  was  an  interruption  to  it  of  fifteen  minutes  in 
three  days.  The  conversation  was  almost  exclusively  con- 
fined to  the  topics  of  steamboats,  liquors,  cards,  black-land, 
red-land,  bottom-land,  timber-land,  warrants,  and  locations, 
sugar,  cotton,  corn,  and  negroes. 

After  the  first  night  I  preferred  to  sleep  on  the  trunks 

10 


110  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.    [Featherstonhattgh 

in  the  social  hall  [the  lobby  which  contained  the  passengers' 
baggage]  rather  than  among  the  cots  in  the  crowded 
cabin,  and  several  others  did  the  same.  There  were,  in 
fact,  not  cots  enough  for  all  the  passengers  excluded  from 
the  state-rooms.  I  found  that  some,  and  I  presume  most, 
of  the  passengers,  by  making  the  clerk  believe  that  they 
would  otherwise  take  the  "  Swamp  Fox,"  had  obtained  their 
passage  at  considerably  less  price  than  I  had  paid. 

[The  above  are  the  principal  events  of  this  description  of  steamboat 
life  before  the  war.  Our  passenger's  journey  ended  at  Nachitoehes,  on 
the  Ked  River,  whence  he  started  on  a  vagrant  trip  through  Texas,  in 
which  we  need  not  follow  him.] 


WINTER  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

G.  W.   FEATHERSTONHAUGH. 

[Of  the  earlier  records  of  English  travel  in  America  one  of  the  most 
interesting  and  informing  works  is  Featherstonhaugh's  "A  Canoe 
Voyage  up  the  Minnay  Sotor,"  a  journey  made  by  the  author  in  1886, 
and  yielding  much  useful  information  in  what  is  now  the  ancient  his- 
tory of  the  great  West.  The  selection  given  is  devoted  to  some  of  his 
prairie  experiences  during  his  journey  through  the  Sioux  country 
from  Lac  qui  Parle  to  Lake  Travers.] 

Eenville  had  procured  me  a  charette,  or  cart,  to  carry 
the  tent,  baggage,  and  provisions.  I  was  to  ride  an  old 
gray  mare,  with  a  foal  running  alongside;  one  of  the 
Canadians  was  to  drive  the  charette,  and  Miler  and  the  rest 
were  to  walk.  The  morning  was  exceeding  cold,  and  our 
road  was  along  the  prairie  parallel  with  the  lake.  All  the 
country  in  every  direction,  having  been  burnt  over,  was 
perfectly  black,  and  a  disagreeable  sooty  odor  filled  the 


Featherstonhauoii]     WINTER   ON  THE  PRAIRIES.         HI 

atmosphere.  At  the  end  of  five  hours  of  a  very  tedious 
march  we  reached  a  stream  called  Wahboptah,  which  may- 
be translated  Ground-nut  river,  the  savages  being  in  the 
habit  of  digging  up  the  Psoralea  esculenta,  a  nutritive 
bulbous  root  which  grows  here.  The  stream  was  about 
thirty  feet  wide,  and  had  some  trees  growing  on  its  banks. 
Having  built  up  a  good  fire,  the  men  proceeded  to  cook 
their  dinner,  while  I  strolled  up  the  stream  and  collected 
some  very  fine  unios,  although  I  found  it  bitterly  cold 
wading  in  the  shallow  water  to  procure  them. 

Having  fed  our  horses  on  the  grass  near  the  stream 
which  had  not  been  burnt  over,  we  started  again  for  Les 
Grosses  Isles,  which  we  were  instructed  were  distant  about 
seven  leagues,  at  the  foot  of  Big  Stone  Lake.  During  the 
first  two  leagues  the  strong  sooty  smell  of  the  country 
gave  me  a  severe  headache,  and  the  weather  became  so 
cold  that  I  was  very  uncomfortable ;  the  fire,  however,  had 
not  extended  beyond  this  distance,  for  in  about  an  hour 
and  a  half  from  our  departure  we  came  to  the  grass  again, 
and  I  fortunately  got  rid  of  my  headache.  Our  cavalry 
was  exceedingly  pleased  by  the  change,  the  horses  re- 
peatedly winnowing  to  each  other,  as  if  to  express  their 
satisfaction.  I  here  perceived  a  live  gopher,  or  geomys, 
feebly  running  in  the  grass,  and,  dismounting,  caught  it.  It 
apparently  had  strayed  from  its  burrow,  and  had  suffered 
from  the  weather.  After  examining  it  I  let  it  go  again,  as 
it  was  impossible  to  take  care  of  it,  and  I  did  not  like  to 
consign  it  to  the  men,  as  I  knew  they  would  kill  and  eat  it, 
for  they  spared  nothing. 

As  the  evening  advanced  it  became  excessively  cold,  and 
a  sharp  wind,  accompanied  with  frozen  sleet,  set  in  from 
the  northeast:  this  soon  became  so  thick  that  I  could 
scarcely  look  up,  much  more  see  anything  in  the  direction 
in  which  I  was  proceeding.     Securing  my  person  and  ears 


112  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.    [Feathkrstonhaugh 

as  well  as  I  could  with  ray  blanket  coat,  I  left  it  to  the 
mare— who  Keaville  told  me  had  been  more  than  once  to 
Lake  Travers— to  take  her  own  course.  At  length  the 
sleet  became  so  dense  that  I  lost  sight  of  everybody  ex- 
cept  the  little  foal,  which,  generally  lagging  behind  in  the 
wake  of  its  dam,  occasionally  trotted  up  to  her  when  in 
her  great  anxiety  she  called  for  it.  I  never  saw  greater 
marks  of  maternal  feeling  in  an  animal  than  in  this  poor 
creature  to  her  young  one. 

As  we  advanced  my  situation  became  exceedingly  pain- 
ful •  the  frozen  sleet  came  in  streams  upon  my  face  and 
eyes  when  I  looked  up ;  my  feet  and  hands  were  so  cold 
that  I  had  scarcely  any  power  over  them ;  my  whole  ex- 
terior, as  well  as  the  head  and  neck  of  the  mare,  was 
covered  with  a  glazing  of  ice ;  night  was  advancing,  and 
we  were  without  a  guide,  upon  a  dreary  and  shelterless 
moor  of  very  great  extent,  and  far  beyond  our  present 
day's  journey,  with  no  prospect  of  an  abatement  of  the 
storm.     In  the  course  of  a  somewhat  adventurous  life  I 
have  occasionally  had  to  meet  with  serious  privations  and 
to  look  danger  rather  steadily  in  the  face,  but  I  had  never 
been  where  there  was  so  slight  a  chance  of  any  favorable 
change.     I  had  not  even  the  comfort  before  me  that  every 
bleak  moor  in  England  offers  under  similar  circumstances 
to  the  imagination,— some  kind  of  shelter  to  receive  us  at 
last,  if  we  were  not  overpowered  by  the  inclemency  of  the 
weather.     It  became  absolutely  necessary  to  consider  what 
it  was  best  to  do,  if  overtaken  before  dark  by  a  deep 

snow. 

My  first  thought  was  not  to  separate  myself  from  my 
party,  which  I  had  not  seen  for  some  time,  for  they  had 
the  cart,  the  tent,  and  the  provisions ;  and  if  we  failed  in 
our  attempt  to  reach  the  few  trees  that  grew  near  Grosses 
Isles  —the  only  chance  we  had  of  finding  materials  to  make 


Featherstonhaugh]     WINTER   ON  THE  PRAIRIES.         113 

fire, — we  could  at  any  rate  burn  the  charette,  eat  something, 
and  cover  ourselves  as  well  as  we  could  with  the  tent. 
This  we  inevitably  should  have  to  do  if  we  missed  the 
station  we  were  aiming  at,  and  of  which  there  was  immi- 
nent danger,  as  it  was  too  thick  for  us  to  discern  any  trees 
at  a  distance.  I  therefore  stopped  the  mare  for  a  while  and 
turned  our  backs  to  the  storm,  which  seemed  to  be  a  great 
relief  to  us  both.  I  had  not  heard  the  voices  of  the  men 
for  some  time,  but  I  knew  the  cart  was  slowly  following 
me,  and  I  thought  it  best  to  wait  awhile  ere  I  advanced 
towards  them,  as  it  was  quite  possible  that  I  might  deviate 
from  the  direction  they  were  advancing  in  and  separate 
myself  from  them  altogether. 

In  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour  the  voices  of  the  men 
answered  to  the  shouts  I  had  from  time  to  time  made,  and 
soon  after  they  joined  me,  all  of  them  covered  with  ice  and 
icicles.  The  men  were  afraid  we  had  got  into  the  wrong 
track,  having  passed  one  or  two  that  forked  different  ways, 
and  this  would  have  been  a  most  serious  misfortune.  Upou 
appealing  to  Miler,  who  was  covered  with  ice,  his  answer 
was,  "N'ayez  pas  peur,  monsieur;  n'ayez  pas  peur."  I 
was  well  aware  that  this  opinion  of  a  sagacious  guide  like 
himself,  trained  to  all  the  difficulties  and  incidents  of 
Indian  life,  was  better  than  that  of  the  others,  and  I  had 
more  confidence  in  his  prudence  and  in  his  conduct  than  I 
had  in  them  ;  but  still  I  was  not  without  fear  that  darkness 
would  overtake  us ;  and  if  it  had  been  left  to  myself,  should 
have  been  inclined  to  attempt  to  set  up  the  tent  while  it 
was  daylight. 

But  Miler  kept  walking  on  before  the  charette,  acting  up 
to  his  character  of  guide  in  the  most  thorough  manner.  I 
determined,  therefore,  to  be  governed  altogether  by  him, 
and  taking  my  place  in  the  rear  of  the  charette,  thought 
that,  as  I  had  now  joined  my  party,  I  would  alight,  and 
i.— A  10* 


H4  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.    [Feathebstonhattgh 

endeavor,  by  running  a  little,  to  restore  the  circulation  of 
my  limbs ;  but  my  feet  and  hands  were  so  benumbed  that 
I  found  it  even  difficult  to  dismount,  or  to  stand  when  1 
reached  the  ground.     As  to  the  poor  mare,  she  had  icicles 
depending  from  her  nose  six  or  eight  inches  long,  which  1 
broke  off;  and  holding  the  bridle  under  my  right  arm,  and 
averting  my  face  a  little  from  the  storm,  I  tried  to  run  and 
draw  her  into  a  gentle  trot,  but  it  was  all  in  vain  ;  she  was 
too  anxious  about  her  foal,  which  was  tired  and  becoming 
weak,  and  could  scarce  come  up  to  her  when  she  called  it 
Full  of  anxiety  as  I  was  about  myself,  I  could  not  but 
admire  the  solicitude  of  this  good  mother  for  her  young, 
so  earnestly  does  the  voice  of  nature  plead  even  with  the 
inferior  animals ;  that  voice  which  God  has  planted  in  our- 
selves, no  less  for  the  safety  of  the  species  we  are  bound 
to  protect  than  to  express  the  intensity  of  the  love  we 
bear  to  our  offspring. 

After  trying  in  vain  to  get  the  mare  out  of  her  snail  s 
pace  without  at  all  improving  my  own  situation,  I  per- 
ceived  that  I  must  be  making  leeway,  for  I  had  lost  sight 
of  the  charette,  so  I  determined  to  mount  again  and  push 
her  into  a  trot ;  we  had  got  up  a  quasi-trot  in  the  morning 
and  I  hoped  I  might  succeed  in  doing  it  again,  but  it  took 
me  a  long  time  to  do  it.     I  was  so  benumbed  that  I  could 
not  regain  my  seat  in  the  saddle  until  I  had  made  several 
efforts,  and  then  the  adjusting  my  blanket-coat  and  the 
covering  my  face  to  protect  it  from  the  cutting  sleet  lost 
me  so  much  time,  that  I  was  in  a  worse  situation  than 
ever  -separated  from  my  party,  night  approaching,  and 
somewhat  apprehensive  that  in  the  gray  light  that  was  be- 
ginning to  prevail  I  might  wander  from  them  and  be  un- 
able to  rejoin  them.    Being  already  half  frozen,  and  feeling 
rather  faint  at  my  stomach,  it  was  clear  to  me  that  in  that 
case  I  should  certainly  be  frozen  to  death. 


Featherstonhatjgh]     WINTER  ON  THE  PRAIRIES.        115 

Getting  on  as  well  as  I  could,  and  ruminating  very  un- 
satisfactorily upon  these  possible  consequences,  the  storm 
began  to  abate,  and  the  wind  veered  to  the  northwest ;  the 
mare  knew  this,  and  gave  immediate  signs  of  it  by  im- 
proving her  pace.  As  we  went  on  the  weather  began  to 
clear  up,  and  as  I  was  straining  my  eyes  to  look  for  the 
charette,  I  heard  the  horse  which  drew  it  neigh  several 
times ;  to  this  the  mare  immediately  answered,  and  soon 
after  came  a  cheer  from  the  men.  Miler  was  soon  seen 
advancing  to  meet  me,  with  the  joyful  intelligence  that 
the  trees  at  Grosses  Isles  were  in  sight.  He  said  the  horse 
in  the  charette  was  the  first  to  see  them  and  to  announce 
the  discovery  by  neighing;  so  that,  although  horses  have 
not  yet  reached  the  art,  as  some  asses  have  done,  of  making 
long  speeches,  yet  the  epithet  of  dumb  animals  is  not  alto- 
gether appropriate  to  them. 

All  our  anxieties  were  now  at  an  end,  and  we  soon  ter- 
minated this  distressing  ride,  and  reached  a  spot  near  a 
marsh,  where  three  or  four  trees  were  standing.  Fortu- 
nately for  us,  there  was  some  dead  wood  on  the  ground, 
and  some  wild  grass  for  the  horses,  which  we  immediately 
proceeded  to  tether  and  turn  loose,  that  they  might  choose 
their  own  bite,  for  the  night  was  too  cold  for  them  to  stray 
far.  Whilst  the  men  were  collecting  wood  and  pitching 
the  tent,  I  endeavored  to  produce  a  light,  but  my  fingers 
were  so  benumbed  that,  after  breaking  several  matches,  I 
gave  up  the  attempt,  and  began  to  run  backward  and  for- 
ward, and  strike  my  hands  together,  to  restoro  my  natural 
warmth.  The  sickness  at  my  stomach  from  exposure  and 
inanition  now  increased  upon  me,  and  I  felt  persuaded 
that  I  should  have  perished  if  I  had  been  obliged  to  lie  out 
on  the  prairie  without  a  fire.  At  length,  the  men  having 
got  a  fire  up,  I  gradually  recovered  from  my  indisposition, 
and  having  eaten  part  of  a  biscuit  felt  much  better.    I 


H6  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.    [Fjsathbrstonhaugh 

was  sorry,  however,  to  receive  bad  accounts  from  the  men 
about  the  water,  which  we  so  much  wanted  to  make  soup 
for  themselves  and  for  my  tea.     It  appeared  that  the  only 
water  that  was  to  be  obtained  was  from  a  hole  in  the  swamp, 
and  that  it  was  as  black  as  ink.     On  inspecting  it,  it  was 
so  thick  and  disgusting  that  I  thought  it  impossible  to  use 
it,  but  remembering  the  saying  of  an  old  French  fellow- 
traveller,  «  Que  tout  est  bon,  quand  il  n'y  a  pas  de  choix 
and  knowing  that  nothing  but  a  cup  of  tea  would  thoroughly 
revive  me,  and  unwilling  to  send  Miler  a  mile  in  the  dark 
to  Big  Stone  Lake  to  obtain  clear  water,  I  determined  to 
make  the  best  I  could  of  it.  m 

I  had  a  large  pot  therefore  filled,  and  boiled  it,  skim- 
ming it  as  the  black  scum  came  in  immense  quantities  to 
the  top,  and  having  exhausted  it  of  everything  of  that 
kind  that  it  would  yield,  the  very  notable  idea  struck  me 
to  put  a  quantity  of  it  into  my  kettle  with  some  black  tea 
and  boil  it  over  again,  which  I  did,  and  really,  when  I 
poured  it  out  it  looked  so  like  strong  black  tea,  and  was  so 
good  and  refreshing,  that  I  soon  forgot  everything  about 
it  except  that  it  had  restored  me  to  life  and  animation 
How  many  dead  newts  and  other  animals  that  had  perished 
in  the  desiccation  of  the  swamp  that  had  attended  the  late 
drought  went  to  form  this  tea-broth  would  not  be  easily 
calculated,  but  I  forgave  them  and  the  sires  that  begot 

^Whilst  we  were  at  our  meal,  a  half-perished  Nahcotah 
Indian  came  to  our  fire,  whom  I  saw  at  the  dance  of  the 
braves  the  day  before.  I  remembered  him  the  moment  ho 
came  up,  from  his  having  attracted  my  attention  during 
the  dance  by  firing  his  gun  over  the  heads  of  the  dancers, 
and  then  presenting  it  to  one  of  the  braves.  Miler  had  in- 
formed me  that  it  was  not  unusual  upon  such  occasions  tor 
eavages  who  look  on  to  become  so  excited  as  to  give  every- 


Fkatherstonhaugh]     WINTER   ON  THE  PRAIRIES.         117 

thing  away  that  they  have.  This  was  what  this  poor  devil 
had  done;  he  had  parted  with  his  gun  and  all  his  little  prop- 
erty, and  was  now  going  a  journey  of  six  or  eight  days  to 
the  Cheyenne  Kiver  to  kill  buffalo,  without  any  arms,  and 
without  anything  to  eat  by  the  way.  Some  one  had  given 
him  an  old  pistol  without  a  lock  to  it,  and  seating  himself 
by  the  fire  without  saying  a  word,  he  after  a  while  pulled 
it  out,  and  asked  Miler  if  I  would  repair  it,  and  give  him 
some  powder  and  ball  ?  I  told  Miler  to  inform  him  that 
people  could  not  make  locks  for  pistols  when  they  were 
travelling  on  the  prairie  in  such  stormy  weather,  but  that 
I  would  give  him  something  to  eat,  and  directed  the  men 
to  give  him  some  of  the  pork  and  biscuit  out  of  their  pot, 
which  he  seemed  to  enjoy  very  much. 

Feeling  once  more  comfortable  after  a  hearty  supper,  I 
entered  my  tent,  and  remained  there  to  a  late  hour  bring- 
ing up  my  notes,  which  I  had  few  opportunities  of  doing 
at  Lac  qui  Parle.  Before  I  lay  down  I  could  not  help  con- 
trasting the  cheerless  prospect  before  me  at  sunset  and  the 
suffering  I  experienced  with  the  cheerful  state  of  mind  and 
body  I  had  now  returned  to,  and  for  which  I  trust  I  was 
most  sincerely  grateful  to  God,  who  had  preserved  me  in 
continued  health  and  safety.  I  felt  completely  wound  up 
again,  and  ready  to  go  on  for  any  length  of  time,  especially 
with  the  reasonable  prospect  of  a  good  night's  rest  before 
me. 

Such  aro  the  agreeable  excitements  attending  this  kind 
of  life,  to  those  who  can  enter  without  prejudice  into  the 
spirit  of  it.  Certainly,  whilst  your  progress  is  successful, 
it  is  delightful.  You  have  plenty  to  eat,  and  you  enjoy 
what  you  eat;  }Tou  are  amused  and  instructed ;  it  is  true  it 
is  often  cold,  but  then  it  is  not  always  so.  You  encamp 
when  you  please;  you  cut  down  as  largo  a  tree  as  you 
please,  and  you  make  as  largo  a  fire  of  it  as  you  please, 


118  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.    [Feathkrstonhattgh 

without  fearing  an  action  of  trespass.  You  kill  deer  out  of 
any  park  you  are  passing  through  without  being  questioned, 
and  you  have  the  rare  privilege  of  leaving  your  night's 
lodging  without  calling  for  the  landlord's  bill.  All  law 
and  government  proceed  from  yourself;  and  the  great 
point  upon  which  everything  turns  is  the  successful  man- 
agement of  the  party  you  are  the  head  of.  Prudence,  i 
consistency,  firmness,  and  a  little  generosity  now  and  then 
by  way  of  condiment,  will  carry  such  a  traveller  through 
everything. 

But  there  is  a  reverse  to  the  picture.  Days  and  nights 
exposed  to  cold,  soaking  rains ;  want  of  food  and  water ; 
unavoidable  exaggeration  of  danger ;  painful  solicitude  for 
those  dear  to  and  absent  from  you,  and  most  anxious 
moments  when  you  occasionally  feel  that  prudence  is 
scarcely  sufficient  to  insure  your  safety.  Even  the  intense 
and  curious  impatience  to  push  on  in  the  face  of  apparent 
danger  makes  you  at  times  feel  a  remorse  on  account  of 
those  you  are  leading  into  it.  Such  are  the  contrasts  of 
feeling  by  which  the  wanderer  in  these  distant  regions, 
still  unvisited  by  a  ray  of  civilization,  is  frequently  agi- 
tated. 

[Reaching  Lake  Travers,  one  of  the  sources  of  the  Red  River  of 
the  North,  he  found  quarters  with  Mr.  Brown,  the  resident  factor  of 
the  American  Fur  Company.] 

After  breakfast  Mr.  Brown  showed  me  some  very  rare 
furs  he  possessed, — several  very  fine  grizzly  bear-skins  (  Ur- 
sas  ferox),  one  of  which  was  a  bright  yellow,  a  rare  variety. 
He  had  also  an  exceedingly  large  and  rich  otter-skin, 
which,  with  many  other  things,  I  purchased  of  him.  But 
my  most  valuable  acquisition  here  was  made  from  an  As- 
siniboin  chief,  who  came  in  about  an  hour  before  I  departed. 
This  was  a  fine  bow,  made  of  bone  and  wood,  with  a  cord 


Featherstonhaugh]     WINTER   ON  THE  PRAIRIES.         119 

of  very  strong  sinew.  The  chief  had  performed  a  feat  with 
it  for  which  Wanetah,  a  Nahcotah  chief,  had  been  cele- 
brated. He  had  killed  two  buffaloes  that  were  galloping 
on  a  parallel  with  his  own  horse  at  one  draft  of  his  arrow, 
it  having  passed  through  the  first  and  inflicted  a  mortal 
wound  upon  the  second. 

The  chief  was  very  unwilling  to  part  with  it.  We  tried 
him  several  times  in  vain,  and  at  length  I  offered  him  five 
gold-pieces,  or  twenty-five  dollars.  "  Mdhzdzhee !  Heeyah  /" 
"  Yellow  iron !  No !"  he  replied.  At  last  Mr.  Brown  pro- 
duced some  brilliant  scarlet  cloth.  The  sight  of  it  over- 
came his  reluctance ;  it  would  make  such  beautiful  leggings, 
and  his  squaws  would  be  so  delighted  with  it  I  So  I  gave 
him  three  yards  of  the  cloth,  and  he  delivered  me  the  bow, 
a  quiver  of  arrows,  and  a  skin  case,  which  contained  it. 
Mr.  Brown,  of  course,  got  his  share  of  the  amount,  though 
he  acted  very  fairly  with  me.  Money  is  unknown  to  these 
savages,  and  they  place  no  value  upon  it.  He  would  not 
have  taken  twenty  of  these  gold-pieces  for  his  bow,  but 
thought  he  had  made  a  good  bargain  with  it  for  the  cloth, 
although  I  have  no  doubt  Mr.  Brown  would  have  sold  it  to 
any  one  for  ten  dollars.  It  was  an  affair  of  barter,  where 
both  parties  were  satisfied,  which,  under  similar  circum- 
stances, is  perhaps  the  best  definition  of  value. 


120  *  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Campiok 


A  HUNTER'S  CHRISTMAS  DINNER. 

J.  S.  CAMPION. 

[Campion's  "  On  the  Frontier :  Eeminiscences  ofWild  Sports,  Per- 
sonal Adventure,  and  Strange  Scenes,"  a  work  full  of  vitality,  is  the 
source  of  our  present  selection.  Some  of  the  author's  adventures  with 
hostile  Indians  are  very  interesting,  hut  the  following  account  of  how 
the  author  won  his  Christmas  dinner  is  likely  to  prove  more  attractive 
reading.] 

On  the  evening  of  December  23  word  was  brought  into 
camp  by  one  of  the  hands,  who  had  been  looking  up  the 
mules,  that  he  had  come  across  the  tracks  of  some  twenty- 
five  turkeys,  within  five  or  six  miles  of  camp.  This  was 
indeed  great  news.  Hope  dawned  upon  us.  We  should 
have  the  fat  turkey  for  Christmas,  at  all  events. 

At  daylight  the  next  day  we  started  for  the  spot  where 
the  turkey-tracks  had  been  seen ;  the  snow  was  melted  off 
the  low  ground,  but  still  lay  thick  on  the  cedar  and  piiion 
ridges,  and  in  patches  on  the  bottoms. 

On  arriving  at  the  place  we  took  the  trail,  and  soon  ran 
it  to  a  ridge-top,  covered  with  pifion-trees,  on  the  nuts  of 
which  the  turkeys  had  been  feeding.  Here  the  tracks 
spread  in  all  directions,  since  the  turkeys  had  wandered 
about,  each  on  his  own  hook,  searching  for  nuts,  and,  to 
double  the  chances  of  finding  them,  we  also  separated,  one 
going  up,  the  other  down,  the  ridge, — going,  too,  very  care- 
fully, for  wild  turkeys  are  the  most  wary  of  all  birds,  and 
require  to  be  hunted  with,  if  possible,  more  caution  than 
do  deer.  And  we  knew  not  the  moment  when  we  might 
come  upon  our  game,  as  it  was  highly  probable  they  were 
close  at  hand ;  for  turkeys,  if  unmolested,  daily  frequent 


Campion]     A  HUNTER'S  CHRISTMAS  DINNER.  121 

the  same  range  of  feeding-ground,  until  it  is  exhausted  of 
food.  By  and  by  I  came  to  where  eight  of  the  straggling 
birds  had  come  together  and  started  off  again  in  company. 
The  drove  had  evidently  separated  into  two  or  more  lots, 
and  I  followed  the  eight  turkeys  for  many  miles  and  for 
many  hours  without  seeing  fresh  sign,  until  at  length  I 
came  to  the  edge  of  a  precipitous  cliff  overlooking  a  wide 
part  of  the  valley,  the  river  flowing  just  below  me,  and  a 
large  grove  of  big  cottonwood-trees  in  a  bottom  not  far 
away. 

Evidently  I  was  at  the  place  from  which  the  turkeys  had 
flown  off  the  night  before  to  go  to  roost.  I  quickly  de- 
scended, and,  going  under  the  cottonwood-trees,  searched 
in  the  tangle  and  jungle  for  sign  of  their  having  roosted 
above,  and  soon  satisfied  myself  that  they  had  done  so. 
The  next  step  necessary  was  to  discover  where  the  turkeys 
had  alighted  in  the  morning;  but  this  might  entail  a  long 
search,  and,  as  it  was  already  past  noon,  I  sat  down  to 
rest,  eat  the  luncheon  I  had  provided  myself  with,  and 
come  to  some  conclusion  as  to  which  direction  I  had  best 
choose  to  make  my  first  cast  in. 

I  had  not  proceeded  far  on  my  way  again,  when  I  came 
suddenly  upon  a  "sign"  that  arrested  my  attention  and 
raised  hope  in  my  breast, — the  tracks  of  a  big  fat  buck ! 
He  had  crossed  the  river-bottom  diagonally,  and  his  trail 
plainly  told  me  all  about  him :  the  great  width  of  and  the 
distance  between  his  tracks  proclaimed  his  sex  and  size,  and 
their  depth  in  the  ground  his  weight.  He  had  been  going 
at  an  easy  trot ;  the  glaze  on  them  was  bright,  their  edges 
unbroken  ;  not  a  speck  of  drifted  dust  was  on  them ;  they 
were  as  fresh  as  new  paint.     They  were  not  an  hour  old. 

In  imagination  I  smelt  roasted  venison,  and  instantly 
started  in  pursuit.     I  followed  on  the  tracks  until  within 
an  hour  of  sunset,  but  never  got  even  a  glimpse  of  the 
p  11  " 


122  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Campion 

deer;  and  by  that  time  his  trail  bad  brought  me  to  the 
bank  of  a  stream  flowing  down  one  of  the  Bide  val  leys. 
The  buck  browsing  here  and  there,  but  never  stopping  long 
in  one  place,  had  led  me  a  wide  circuit  through  and  over 
valley  and  ridges.  He  had  not  seen  or  smelted  me  how- 
ever, since  none  of  his  movements  showed  that  he  had  been 

^  Theitream,  at  the  place  where  the  deer's  track  led  to 
it  was  unusually  wide,  consequently  slack  in  current,  and 
therefore  frozen  over.     The  snow  still  lay  on  the  ice,  and 
the  buck's  track,  where  he  had  crossed,  looked  but  just 
made.     The  ice  seemed  firm,  and  I  started  to  cross  the 
creek.     About  ten  feet  from  shore,  bang  through  I  went 
waist  deep,  into  the  cold  water,  and  broke  and  scrambled 
my  way  back  with  great  difficulty,  and  with  noise  enough 
to  frighten  into  a  gallop  any  wild  animal  that  might  be 
within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  me. 

It  was  very  disagreeable,  very  annoying,  and  very  cold ; 
and  my  clothes  beginning  to  freeze  on  me,  I  started  for 
camp  at  a  brisk  walk. 

Just  as  the  sun  was  going  down  I  passed  near  to  where 
the  turkeys  had  flown  off  to  roost.  It  struck  me  that  by 
watching'  there  a  short  time  1  might  see  them  return  to 
the  same  or  a  neighboring  roost,  knowing  they  often  do 
bo  This,  however,  was  very  cold  work,  my  clothes  being 
in'a  half-dried,  half-frozen  condition  ;  and  I  was  just  going 
to  give  it  up,  when  I  heard  the  faint  distant  report  of  a 
rifle.  The  sound  redoubled  my  attention,  since  I  supposed 
that  game  was  stirring. 

In  a  few  minutes  I  heard  the  quick  sharp  alarm  call  of  the 
turkey,  the  unmistakable  pit-pit,  and  saw  four  of  them  sail 
off  from  the  edge  of  the  cliff,  at  about  sixty  yards  distance 
from  me,  into  the  top  branches  of  the  trees  forming  one  of 
the  -roups  in  the  valley  below.     Drawing  gently  back,  and 


Campion]    A  HUNTER'S  CHRISTMAS  DINNER.  123 

keeping  as  much  as  possible  under  cover,  I  made  my  way 
down  into  the  valley,  and  started  in  the  direction  of  the 
grove  of  trees  in  which  the  turkeys  had  settled. 

It  was  getting  dark,  and  I  had  gone  but  a  short  way, 
when,  at  a  distance  of  about  two  hundred  yards  in  front,  a 
most  extraordinary- looking  object  presented  itself  to  my 
view.  It  looked  like  a  haycock  on  legs  with  the  handle  of 
a  pitchfork  sticking  out  of  it ;  it  was  steadily  advancing 
through  the  gloom  to  where  I  stood,  and  arrived  quite 
close  to  me  before  I  could  quite  make  out  what  it  was.  It 
proved  to  be  my  companion,  with  two  turkeys  tied  together 
by  the  legs  and  slung  over  his  shoulder  across  his  rifle. 
The  wind  coming  up  the  valley  and  blowing  the  feathers 
out  in  all  directions  had  given  the  turkejTs  in  the  gloaming 
the  extraordinary  appearance  that  had  astonished  me  so 
much.  I  gave  a  low  whistle,  and  he  joined  me  ;  I  pointed 
to  the  turkeys  in  the  trees.  He  dropped  those  he  already 
had,  hung  them  up  out  of  wolf  reach,  and  together  we 
cautiously  crept  under  the  four  roosting  turkeys. 

The  light  was  very  bad  for  rifle-shooting,  but  our  front 
sights  were  of  ivory,  and  our  birds  were  skyed;  so  draw- 
ing the  best  beads  we  could,  we  fired  simultaneously,  and 
with  great  success,  two  fine  birds  dropping  dead  at  our  feet, 
— the  others  making  off. 

We  congratulated  each  other,  and  started  for  camp  with 
four  fat  turkeys, — and  fat  indeed  they  were,  for  they  had 
been  feeding  all  autumn  on  walnuts,  hickory-nuts,  grapes, 
sweet  acorns,  and  pirions,  at — or  rather  I  suspect  without 
— discretion. 

We  had  a  long  trudge  home,  the  turkeys  getting  ap- 
parently heavier  every  mile.  As  wo  tramped  along  my 
companion  related  his  day's  experience.  About  noon  ho 
had  come  upon  the  fresh  tracks  of  some  turkeys  feeding 
along  one  of  the  ridges,  and  had  followed  the  birds  until 


124  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Campion 

•within  about  three   hours  of  sunset,  when,  on  peeping 
into  an  open  glade,   he  saw  fourteen  of  them   scattered 
over  it,  picking  up  seeds  and  strutting  about.     As  the 
turkeys  seemed  to  be  approaching  him,  he  lay  quite  still, 
watching  them  through  the  thicket  which  concealed  him. 
Ultimately  they  got  quite  close,  giving  many  fair  oppor- 
tunities to  shoot  one.     But  he  was  determined  not  to  fire 
unless  necessary,  preferring  to  wait  for  an  occasion  to 
present  itself  enabling  him  to  kill  two  at  one  shot, — a  very 
rare  chance  to  obtain.     He  said  it  was  most  interesting 
to  lie  there  at  his  ease  and  watch  the  motions  and  move- 
ments of  the  birds  as  they  fed  about  and  spread  themselves 
in  fancied  security.     At  last  his  opportunity  came,  and 
firing   without   a   moment's   delay,  he   floored   his   birds, 
taking  the  head  of  the  nearest  clean  off,  and  shooting  the 
farther  one  through  the  body  at  the  butt  of  his  wings. 
This  was  the  shot  I  had  heard.     I  then  told  him  what  I 
had  seen,  and  what  had  befallen  me,  and  we  got  home 
quite  done  up,  but  rejoicing  at  our  good  luck. 

Supper  was  waiting,  and  this  meal,  a  blazing  fire,  and 
the  pipe  of  peace,  recruited  us  after  our  fatigues. 

We  had  been  very  careful  and  sparing  in  the  use  of  our 
spirits,  not  knowing  how  long  it  might  be  before  we  should 
be  able  to  get  a  fresh  supply,  or  what  necessity  might  arise 
for  their  use ;  but  this  was  considered  an  occasion  when 
the  flowing  bowl  ought  to  be  indulged  in,  so  grogs  all 
round  were  mixed  and  our  success  celebrated.  When  this 
interesting  ceremony  had  been  concluded,  my  companion 
remarked  to  me,  "  Our  luck  has  evidently  turned,  and,  as 
gamblers  always  do,  we  ought  to  press  our  good  fortune 
while  it  lasts.  We  have  got  our  Christmas  turkeys ;  no 
doubt  the  buck  you  followed  is  destined  to  grace  our 
Christmas  dinner.  I  am  the  man  to  kill  it.  Daylight 
shall  see  me  on  his  track.    You  will  behold  my  face  no 


Campion]    A  HUNTER'S  CHRISTMAS  DINNER.  125 

more  until  I  return  with  the  haunches  of  the  big  buck." 
Then  he  turned  in  and  I  quickly  followed  his  example.  At 
the  time  I  had  not  the  remotest  idea  that  my  comrade 
really  intended  to  put  his  threat  into  execution ;  I  thought 
he  was  "gassing,"  and  put  it  down  to  the  credit  of  the 
flowing  bowl. 

Next  morning  I  awoke  at  mjr  usual  time, — daybreak, — 
got  out  of  my  blankets,  arose,  stirred  the  fire  into  a  great 
blaze  and  turned  my  back  to  it  to  get  a  good  warm.  I 
looked  for  my  companion, — his  blankets  were  empty ;  I 
glanced  towards  the  arms, — his  rifle  and  belt  were  gone ;  I 
felt  his  blankets, — they  were  cold.  He  had  consequently 
been  gone  for  some  time. 

I  made  a  cast  round,  and  struck  his  fresh  tracks  going 
in  the  direction  of  our  last  day's  tramp.  He  had  "gone 
for"  the  big  buck.  For  my  part,  I  was  too  tired  to  stir 
that  day.  Though  then  as  hard  as  nails,  and  in  first-rate 
condition  and  training,  I  was  thoroughly  done  up  and  quite 
stiff — "  played  out" — with  the  previous  day's  wetting  and 
walking,  so  remained  in  camp,  and  spent  the  time  in  help- 
ing to  make  the  plum-pudding,  dress  and  stuff  the  turkeys, 
and  in  resting, — principally  in  resting. 

Night  came,  but  not  my  comrade.  I  was  not  exactly 
uneasy  about  him,  for  he  was  a  first-rate  hunter  and  moun- 
taineer; but  many  are  the  unexpected  accidents  that  may 
happen  to  a  lone  wanderer  in  the  wilderness. 

I  piled  the  wood  on  the  fire  and  sat  waiting  for  him  until 
near  midnight.  Then  I  began  to  think  I  was  foolish  to  do 
so,  and  had  better  go  to  sleep.  Just  as  I  was  turning  in 
the  dogs  ran  out,  frisking  and  capering,  into  the  darkness. 
I  heard  the  whistle  of  my  comrade,  and  he  strode  into  the 
light  of  the  camp-fire.  On  his  back,  in  a  sling  extempo- 
rized out  of  the  skin  of  the  deer,  wero  the  hind-quarters  of 
a  big  buck.     It  was  not  yet  twelvo,  and  though  a  closo 

11* 


126  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Campiow 

ghave  on  being  Christmas-day,  our  bill  of  fare>as  filled. 
Some  more  flowing  bowl.  > 

At  breakfast  the  following  day  my  companion  narrated 
to  us  the  story  of  his  late  hunt,  as  nearly  as  may  be,  in  the 

following  words :  . 

He  said,  «  By  daylight  I  was  where  you  came  to  griet 
by  breaking  through  the  ice,  with  this  difference,  that  I 
was  upon  the  other  side  of  the  creek,  having  crossed  it 
higher  up  by  means  of  a  beaver  dam.    Being  a  cold  trail,  1 
pushed  ahead  sharply,  keeping  a  good  lookout,  and  in  a 
little  over  two  hours  came  to  where  the  buck  had  lain 
down  to  pass  the   dark  of  the   night.     There   being   no 
morning  moon,  I  knew  he  had  not  stirred  before  sunrise, 
and  might,  therefore,  be  browsing,  or  standing  under  some 
tree  quite  near;   so  continued  my  way  most  cautiously, 
never  following  the  tracks  when  they  crossed  an  open,  un- 
less obliged  to  do  so  on  account  of  the  ground  being  frozen 
hard,  so  that  it  often  took  me  a  long  time  to  get  his  trail 
again  after  leaving  it ;  but  I  knew,  if  the  buck  once  saw  or 
ffot  a  sniff  of  me,  he  might  run  ten  miles  without  stopping. 
"About  eleven  o'clock  I  sighted  him.     1  was  peeping 
cautiously  out  of  a  thicket,  at  whose  edge  I  had  just  ar- 
rived, into  a  large  park-like  glade,  and  saw  him  under  a 
big  white  oak-tree,  eating  the  acorns.    There  was  no  cover 
between  me  and  where  the  buck  stood,  so  I  could  not  risk 
trvin-  to  get  nearer  to  him  except  by  making  a  long  de- 
tour, °and  the  nearest  edge  of  the  timber  I  was  in  was  too 
far  off  him  to  risk  a  shot  from.     There  was,  therefore, 
nothing  for  it  but  to  sit  down  and  wait  until  he  pleased  to 
move  on  or  lie  down,  and  so  give  me  a  chance  to  get 
nearer.     Being  hungry,  I  utilized  the  time  by  eating  my 
luncheon,  and  then  fell  to  smoking.     Well,  he  kept  me 
there  over  an  hour,  and  then  started  off  in  a  straight  line 
in  a  trot.    As  he  took  a  bee-line  for  the  river,  I  knew  what 


Campion]     A   HUNTER'S  CHRISTMAS  DINNER.  127 

he  was  after :  he  was  going  to  take  his  '  little  drink.'  I, 
too,  should  have  liked  to  indulge  in  a  little  drink,  to  wash 
down  my  luncheon. 

"  As  soon  as  the  buck  was  well  under  way  I  started  at 
the  double,  on  a  parallel  course,  hoping  to  get  a  shot  at 
him  in  the  river's  bottom.  I  crossed  the  open  ground  of  a 
valley  in  a  bend  that  was  above  and  out  of  sight  of  the 
course  he  was  taking,  got  into  the  cover  along  the  river's 
bank,  and  followed  it  down,  but  saw  nothing  of  him.  By 
and  by  I  came  to  where  the  buck  had  drunk.  He  had 
there  crossed  the  river  and  gone  straight  on  at  a  long  easy 
trot  towards  the  Sierra  Verde. 

"Should  he  intend  going  up  the  mountain  my  chance 
of  seeing  him  again  that  day  was  over;  if  he  was  going 
to  feed  in  the  pinon  ridges,  then  careful  stalking  and  the 
avoidance  of  all  mistakes  would  make  him  my  meat.  I 
could  not  afford  to  lose  time  by  going  to  a  beaver  dam  to 
cross,  so  at  once  peeled  and  waded  over. 

"  After  going  about  two  miles,  the  buck's  tracks  showed 
he  had  subsided  into  a  walk,  and  then  almost  immediately 
turned,  to  my  great  satisfaction,  into  the  pinon-ridge 
country,  in  which,  after  about  an  hour's  careful  stalking,  1 
sighted  him  again.  He  was  strolling  along,  feeding;  but 
it  was  getting  pretty  well  on  towards  sunset  before  I  was 
able  to  approach  close  enough  to  him  to  care  to  fire  a  shot, 
for  I  had  taken  so  much  trouble  that  I  was  determined  to 
incur  no  risk  I  could  avoid,  but  have  patience  until  I  had  a 
certainty  of  killing  him  in  his  tracks.  At  last  ho  stopped 
to  browse  in  a  little  open,  oval  table-land,  on  the  summit 
of  a  cedar  ridge. 

"The  ridge-top  was  nowhere  over  a  hundred  yards 
across,  and  was  surrounded  with  a  thick  fringe  of  dwarf 
cedars.  Peeping  through  one  of  these  dwarf  cedars,  I 
could  see  the  deer's  broad  fat  quarters  about  forty  yards 


128  EALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Campion 

in  front  of  me.  The  buck  was  slowly  walking  from  where 
I  stood  concealed.  I  put  my  cap  in  a  fork  of  the  cedar, 
laid  my  rifle-barrel  on  it,  brought  its  stock  to  my  shoulder, 
and  bleated  like  a  doe. 

"The  big  buck  stopped,  turned  his  body  half  round,  his 
head  wholly  so,  and  looked  straight  towards  me  with  his 

head  down. 

« I  drew  a  careful  bead  between  his  eyes,  and  dropped 

him — stone-dead! 

"I  ran  up  to  bleed  him,  feeling  quite  relieved  and  glad 
at  so  successful  a  termination  of  ten  hours'  difficult  hunt- 
ing. I  had  not  noticed  it  while  engrossed  by  the  interest 
ofVrsuit,  but  now  found  I  was  very  hungry,  and  so  lit  a 
fire  at  once,  that  there  might  be  roasting-coals  ready  by 
the  time  I  had  skinned  my  deer. 

»  I  was  soon  enjoying  a  jolly  rib-roast,  making  a  tremen- 
dous meal,  and  recruiting  myself  for  the  tramp  of  from 
twelve  to  fifteen  miles  lying  between  me  and  the  camp." 

So,  after  all,  we  had  our  Christmas  dinner  according  to 
programme,  and  a  capital  one  it  was,  too. 

The  turkeys  were  d  merveille,  the  venison  delicious ;  for 
the  big  buck— he  was  nearly  as  big  as  a  Mexican  burro- 
deer— was  very  fat  indeed.  It  is  only  the  man  who  has 
eaten  really  fat  wild  venison  who  knows  what  good  ven- 
ison  really  is.  The  kidneys  were  completely  covered  with 
tallow  and  my  companion  assured  us  that  the  buck  cut 
nearly  an  inch  of  fat  on  the  brisket.  The  quarters  had 
been  hung  out  to  freeze  all  night,  and  were  thawed  m 
melted  snow-water  before  being  cooked,  and  so  were  quite 

tender.  . , 

The  plum-pudding  was  over  a  foot  in  diameter;  we  could 
hardly  pull  it  out  of  the  pot.  It  was  as  good  as  possible, 
and  followed  by  a  bowl  of  punch,  our  punch-bowl  being  for 
the  nonce  a  tin  bucket;  not  to  mince  matters,  it  was  our 


Bacon]  A   COLORADO   "ROUND    UP."  129 

horses'  watering-bucket,  which,  though  not  elegant,  was 
capacious,  and  the  only  utensil  we  had  capable  of  holding 
the  amount  of  punch  the  occasion  called  for. 

No  holly  grew  in  the  country,  but  the  bright  red  berries 
of  the  Indian  arrow-wood  and  of  the  bearberry-bush  made 
beautiful  substitutes,  and  there  were  more  evergreens  in 
sight  than  entire  Christendom  could  have  made  use  of,  so 
our  camp  was  profusely  and  gayly  decorated.  Altogether 
the  day  was  well  and  duly  celebrated,  and  it  is  marked 
with  a  white  stone  in  the  calendar  of  my  memory. 


A  COLORADO  "ROUND-UP." 

ALFRED   TERRY   BACON. 

[Among  picturesque  scenes  of  American  life  there  are  few  to  sur- 
pa^.-  those  to  be  seen  on  the  cattle  ranges  of  the  "West,  the  home  of  the 
cow-boy,  and  of  a  mode  of  life  widely  removed  from  the  quiet  con- 
ditions of  ordinary  civilization.  We  append  a  description  of  daily 
scenes  during  a  cattle  "  drive."] 

By  a  fortunate  circumstance  I  first  saw  that  pastoral 
pageant  known  in  the  West  as  a  "  round-up"  among  the 
most  picturesque  surroundings  that  could  have  been  chosen 
for  it  even  in  Colorado.  In  the  northern  counties  the 
abrupt  line  of  the  Rocky  Mountain  foot-hills  has  nearly 
a  north-and-south  direction.  From  their  base  the  grass- 
country  rolls  away  in  great  brown  undulations  with  a  gen- 
eral downward  slope  towards  the  east  for  twenty  miles, 
to  the  depression  in  the  Plains  through  which  the  South 
Platte  flows  northward.  Beyond  the  river  the  land  rises 
again  with  an  easy  slope  for  several  miles.  It  is  from  the 
side  of  this  rise  of  ground  that  the  superb  panoramic  view 

l.—i 


130  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Bacon 

of  the  Eocky  Mountain  range  is  seen  in  perfection.  More 
than  two  hundred  miles  it  stretches  in  sight,  from  the 
masses  vaguely  seen  beyond  the  snowy  shoulders  of  Pike's 
Peak  to  the  lower  mountains  across  the  border  of  Wyo- 
ming. 

At  a  considerable  height  on  this  slope  runs  a  canal  for 
irrigation,  led  out  from  the  swiftly-descending  Platte  some 
miles  above.  One  brilliant  evening  in  July,  a  procession 
of  wagons,  each  with  its  arched  covering  of  canvas  tinted 
by  the  sunset  light,  moved  up  the  ascent  to  the  bank  of  the 
ditch.  The  wagons  were  drawn  up  in  line,  about  a  hun- 
dred feet  apart,  and  in  five  minutes  each  driver  had  un- 
harnessed and  "hobbled"  his  horses  and  a  bright  row  of 
camp-fires  were  dancing  in  the  twilight.  The  wagons 
were  late  in  making  a  camp.  Usually  they  precede  the 
herd  by  several  hours ;  but  now  close  following  is  heard 
the  lowing  of  the  cattle,  a  slowly  swelling  volume  of  sound, 
as  the  drove  approaches.  At  a  spot  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
from  camp,  where  a  level  interrupts  the  general  slope,  the 
herd  is  massed  together,  or,  in  technical  phrase,  "  bunched," 
and  with  the  approach  of  darkness  gradually  all  lie  down 
for  the  night.  One  by  one  the  herders  drop  away  to  camp 
as  the  cattle  grow  quiet,  till  but  two  are  left  riding  in 
opposite  directions  about  the  sleeping  herd,  each  singing 
vigorously,  for  the  double  purpose  of  warding  off  sleep 
and  keeping  the  herd  aware  of  their  guard.  The  songs 
are  continued  by  the  successive  watches  till  dawn,  each 
singer  pursuing  his  tune  with  a  glorious  independence  of 
harmony  with  his  mate;  yet  in  the  distance,  as  we  sit 
beside  the  camp-fire  or  in  waking  moments  at  night,  it  is  a 
cheerful,  vigilant  sound.  In  the  cow-boy's  dialect,  "sing- 
ing to  'em"  has  become  a  synonymous  expression  for  night- 
herding. 

Before  the  day's  work  is  finished,  there  is  a  cry  heard 


Bacon]  A   COLORADO   "ROUND    UP."  131 

not  far  away,  "  Ropes !  ropes !"  Two  men  start  up  from 
the  resting  groups  and  form  a  sort  of  temporary  corral 
by  stretching  ropes  from  a  wagon,  and  into  it  is  driven 
the  great  herd  of  saddle-horses,  to  be  "  hobbled"  for  the 
night.  Then  the  supper  is  served,— hastily  cooked  and 
hastily  eaten.  There  is  little  comfort  about  it.  A  kind  of 
lengthened  tailboard  is  let  down  at  the  end  of  each  wagon 
and  supported  by  props.  All  the  men  of  an  "  outfit" — that 
is,  those  banded  to  work  together  and  share  the  use  of  one 
wagon — gather  about  this  rude  table  and  devour  the  meal, 
as  they  stand,  with  the  lion's  appetite  which  only  a  wholly 
out-door  life  can  give. 

Each  "  outfit"  carries  its  tent,  for  use  in  bad  weather ; 
but  with  a  dewless  night  and  a  dry  soil  no  one  cares  to 
stake  a  tent  after  fourteen  hours  of  hard  riding.  As  soon 
as  darkness  has  fairly  settled  over  the  earth,  we  are  all 
rolled  in  our  blankets  side  by  side  on  the  ground  as  peace- 
ful as  a  row  of  mummies.  Over  us  the  heaven  seems  to 
glitter  with  a  million  stars  not  seen  in  lower  countries,  and 
sleep  soon  comes  to  the  eyes  turned  upward  towards  its  in- 
finite calm.  At  intervals  through  the  night  the  second, 
third,  and  "cocktail"  reliefs  will  be  called  to  go  on  duty: 
all  hands  must  take  their  turns  at  night-herding. 

With  the  first  intimation  of  daylight  the  camp-fires  are 
again  dancing  in  line.  By  each  a  cook  begins  his  breakfast 
preparations.  Long  before  the  appearance  of  the  sun  all 
the  camp  is  astir ;  bedding  is  rolled  and  packed  away  ready 
for  transportation.  In  the  universal  freshness  of  dawn  the 
view  westward  from  the  hill  is  glorious.  Through  the 
meadows  just  below  us  winds  the  Platte,  shaded  by  noble 
groves  of  cottonwood,  the  home  of  ten  thousand  meadow- 
larks,  and  already  in  the  starry  twilight  they  have  begun 
a  choral  symphony  of  innumerable  voices.  .  .  . 

But  the  light  of  the  sun  has  hardly  crept  down  the  hill 


132  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Bacon 

to  touch  the  tree-tops,  still  ringing  with  the  morning  song, 
before  the  hurried  standing  breakfast  at  the  camp  is  over 
and  each  man  has  been  appointed  to  his  work  by  the 
captain  of  the  "  round-up."  Throe  or  four  are  named  to 
guard  the  herd  already  gathered ;  some  will  have  special 
care  of  the  horses ;  all  others,  except  the  men  in  charge  of 
wagons,  are  appointed  to  go  "  out  on  circle."  Then  follows  • 
a  general  saddling  of  horses,  and,  while  the  shadows  still 
lie  long  across  the  plain,  knots  of  horsemen,  three  or  four 
abreast,  strike  out  across  the  prairie  on  lines  radiating  in 
all  directions  from  the  camp.  They  will  ride  out  on  their 
courses  for  about  five  miles,  except  where  the  space  is 
limited  on  the  west  by  the  river,  and  then,  turning  back, 
will  drive  in  towards  the  centre,  or,  as  they  say,  will  "  circle 
in,"  or  "  round  up,"  all  the  cattle  found  in  that  district,  a 
space  with  a  diameter  of  ten  miles.  It  is  this  operation 
carried  on  day  after  day  over  many  thousand  square  miles 
of  country  which  gives  the  name  "  round-up"  to  the  annual 
gathering  of  the  cattle  on  the  Plains.  .  .  . 

The  long,  hot  morning  wastes  away,  unvaried  by  any 
event  but  the  changing  phases  of  the  mirage  and  the 
gathering  of  cloud-puffs  over  the  mountains.  But  when 
the  sun  has  climbed  within  an  hour  or  two  of  the  merid- 
ian, some  one  less  drowsy  than  the  rest  shouts,  "  They're 
coming!"  Across  the  prairie  where  he  points  there  is  no 
living  thing  in  sight,  but  beyond  the  most  distant  ridge 
a  great  dust-column  seems  to  touch  the  sky  and  stand 
motionless.  Then  on  the  opposite  horizon  we  catch  sight 
of  another  cloud  of  dust,  then  another,  and  another 
appears,  till  the  circle  of  approaching  herds  is  complete. 
Presently  the  leaders  of  a  procession  mount  the  ridge. 
The  long  line  of  cattle  comes  steadily  on.  Half  are  lost  to 
sight  in  the  hollows  of  the  prairie,  half  are  seen  on  the 
crests  of  the  swelling  ground.      Up  and  down  the  line 


Bacon]  A   COLORADO  "ROUND   UP."  133 

gallop  the  horsemen,  urging  and  guiding  the  cattle.  When 
the  first  sound  from  the  herd  reaches  the  ear,  it  is  like  a 
long  trumpet-blast.  Among  the  multitudes  that  are  ap- 
proaching there  is  not  one  but  utters  some  sound  of  protest 
at  this  sudden  infringement  of  the  liberties  of  his  wild  life. 
The  bellowing  of*  the  bulls,  the  lowing  of  the  cows,  the 
bleating  of  the  calves,  all  are  blended  into  a  musical 
murmur  in  which  no  single  voice  can  be  distinguished. 

With  the  advance  of  the  cattle  the  deep  note  grows 
louder  by  almost  imperceptible  degrees,  but  at  last,  when 
the  lines  begin  to  be  driven  together  at  the  centre,  it  has 
increased  to  a  deafening  uproar.  Conversation  is  im- 
possible ;  orders  are  shouted  as  in  a  storm  at  sea.  When 
the  converging  processions  have  come  so  near  that  the 
animals  can  be  distinguished,  it  is  interesting  to  look 
closely  at  the  passing  lines,  in  which  every  breed  and  size 
and  color  of  cattle  is  represented,  from  the  small  tawny 
Texas  cow,  as  wild  as  a  deer,  to  the  large  high-bred  Dur- 
ham bull  that  paces  heavily  along  nodding  his  head  at  every 
step  with  an  aristocratic  air  of  self-satisfaction.  The  leaders 
of  a  herd  are  always  the  strong,  fat  steers,  walking  with  a 
quick  step,  carrying  their  heads  erect,  and  glancing  about 
with  restless  eyes, — powerful,  swift  animals,  ready  when 
anything  startles  them  to  break  into  a  stampede  that  will 
try  the  mettle  of  the  best  horses  in  the  effort  to  stop  them. 

To  one  who  has  only  known  cattle  in  the  Eastern  States 
from  watching  working-oxen  crawling  along  a  road  a  mile 
and  a  half  in  an  hour,  or  mild  old  dairy-cows  loafing  home 
from  pasture  at  night,  these  spirited  wild  cattle  seem  a 
different  race  of  animals.  A  new-comer  to  the  plains  can 
hardly  believe  that  cattle  are  capable  of  great  speed ;  but 
let  him  help  in  driving  a  herd  for  a  few  days,  and  his 
opinion  is  changed.  A  small  calf  lagging  in  the  roar  of  a 
herd  is  sometimes  seized  with  an  insane  notion  that  his 

12 


134  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Bacon 

mother  has  been  left  behind  if  he  loses  sight  of  her  for  a 
moment.     He  starts  backward  on  the  trail,  "  like  a  streak 
of  greased  lightning,"  his  pursuer  would  say.     An  accom- 
plished cow-boy  is  often  baffled  for  some  time  in  such  a 
chase.     His  horse,  of  course,  will  outstrip  a  calf  in  a  long 
run  ;  but  just  when  he  has  headed  him  off,  the  exasperating 
little  brute  will  dodge  like  a  hare,  and,  while  the  horse  is 
carried  on  by  his  impetus,  the  calf  is  off  again  as  fast  as 
ever  in  search  of  his  forsaken  parent.     I  have  known  a 
« tender-foot"  to  disappear  over  the  bluffs  on  such  a  chase  in 
the  middle  of  the  afternoon  and  return  at  night  crestfallen, 
to  acknowledge  himself  vanquished  by  a  most  insignificant 

little  calf. 

After  the  leaders  of  the  herd  generally  follow  the  young 
stock,— the  yearlings  and  two  year-olds,— with  the  fat  dry 
cows  scattered  along  the  line;  then  the  multitude  of  cows 
followed  by  calves  ;  and  last  the  lagging  new-born  calves, 
attended  and  coaxed  along  by  fussy  old  mothers. 

After  the  men  have  rushed  into  camp  to  swallow  the 
noonday  meal  and  have  hurried  back  to  the  herd,  the  hard- 
est and  most  interesting  part  of  the  day's  work  begins  — 
that  is,  the  "cutting  out,"  or  sorting,  the  cattle  of  those 
brands  which  it  is  desired  to  separate  from  the  promiscuous 
multitude.     In  the  "  general  round-up''  of  the  early  summer 
the  branding  of  the  young  stock  is  the  chief  business; 
but  in  this  gathering  the  object  is  to  separate  certain  cattle 
to  be  driven  awav  to  new  grazing-grounds  in  the  northern 
Territories.     As  we  are  riding  out  with  the  herders  return  - 
incr  to  their  work,  suddenly  the  body  from  head  to.  foot  is 
suffused  with  a  sense  of  relief  and  refreshment,  as  when 
water  touches  a  parched  throat;  for,  after  eight  hours  of 
scorching  heat,  a  cloud  has  drifted  across  the  sun  as  he 
begins  his  descent.     It  is  only  in  such  an  arid,  shadeless 
region  that  the  scriptural   metaphor  of  a  "shadow  in  a 


Bacon]  A   COLORADO  "ROUND    UP."  135 

weary  land"  can  have  the  full  force  which  it  had  to  its 
Asiatic  author. 

But  now,  as  we  came  to  the  herd  and  turned  to  circle 
about  it,  the  westward  view  was  wonderfully  changed. 
The  background  of  mountains  which  in  the  morning  had 
been  so  shadeless  was  now  almost  wholly  in  shadow.  The 
cloud-puffs  of  an  hour  ago  had  spread  and  united  into  black 
canopies  of  storm-cloud.  The  range  had  assumed  its  dark- 
est and  most  sublime  aspect.  As  the  eye  runs  up  and  down 
the  long  sweep  of  vision,  here  and  there  a  white  peak, 
flooded  with  sunshine  from  an  unseen  space  between  the 
storms,  shines  with  an  unearthly  brightness  amid  the  gen- 
eral blackness.  Here  and  there  the  snowy  head  of  a 
mountain  looks  out  cold  and  wan  through  a  transparent 
veil  of  showers.  Every  moment  at  some  point  along  the 
rank  of  mountains  a  thunderbolt  leaps  across  from  cloud 
to  peak  with  a  quick  shiver.  A  portentous  darkness  settles 
over  the  Great  Divide.  The  pine-clad  slopes  are  as  black 
as  night ;  the  snowy  summits  leaden. 

In  contrast  with  the  dark  majesty  of  the  background  is 
the  intense  animation  of  the  scene  close  at  hand.  Back 
and  forth  and  round  and  round  patrol  the  horsemen  ap- 
pointed to  hold  the  cattle  within  certain  boundaries.  Men 
representing  the  owners  of  brands  ride  into  the  crowd  of 
cattle,  and,  moving  slowly  about,  observe  the  brand  on 
every  animal  they  pass.  Usually  a  rider  represents  several 
owners.  Catching  sight  of  the  brands. for  which  they  are 
looking,  each  man  follows  close  at  the  heels  of  the  cow  ho 
has  selected,  and,  when  she  is  near  the  edge  of  the  herd, 
with  a  quick  jump  of  his  horse  he  tries  to  drive  her  be}Tond 
the  boundaries.  But  commonly  she  detects  his  purpose, 
her  gregarious  instinct  rebels,  and  with  a  quicker  jump 
she  is  back  again  among  her  friends  in  the  midst  of  the 
herd. 


136  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Bacon 

Then  follows  a  hard  chase  around  among  the  frightened 
cattle.  Fifteen  or  twenty  riders  are  soon  in  hot  pursuit  of 
their  several  brands.  The  whole  herd  is  in  commotion, 
with  a  general  wheeling  movement  like  a  slow  Maelstrom. 
The  cattle  are  "ginning  around,"  they  say.  The  din  of  a 
thousand  bellowing  voices  grows  more  thunderous  as  the 
herd  grows  more  uneasy.  To  watch  this  tossing  sea  of 
animal  life  is  exciting  in  the  highest  degree.  The  horses, 
trained  by  long  experience  in  the  work,  dash  into  it  with 
the  fire  of  a  war-horse  going  to  battle.  They  take  evident 
pleasure  in  their  superiority  over  the  inferior  intelligence 
of  the  cattle.  The  showy,  barbaric  costumes  of  the  cow- 
boys, the  exquisite  feats  of  horsemanship,  the  excitement 
of  the  horses  warming  to  their  work,  the  occasional  dex- 
terous use  of  the  lasso  in  subduing  some  animal  at  bay,  all 
the  rush  and  tumult,  the  roar  and  shouting,  the  grace  of 
muscular  men  and  animals  in  swift  motion,  make  up  a 
spectacle  so  stirring  and  picturesque  that  all  other  exhibi- 
tions of  equestrian  skill  seem  tame  in  comparison. 

As  the  cattle  one  by  one  are  "  cut  out,"  they  are  taken 
in  charge  by  the  outside  riders  and  driven  away  to  swell 
the  herd  of  those  already  gathered,  which  is  grazing  less 
than  a  mile  away.  After  two  hours  of  work,  while  the 
commotion  seems  still  as  violent  as  ever,  the  captain  sud- 
denly shouts  the  order,  "  Turn  'em  loose !"  The  cry  passes 
along,  the  guards  draw  to  one  side,  the  liberated  cattle 
move  quickly  away,  first  in  a  body,  then  in  a  long  scatter- 
ing line,  and  the  stillness  of  the  desert  succeeds  the  uproar. 
In  the  mean  time,  the  camp  has  been  broken  up  and  the 
train  of  wagons  has  moved  up  the  river  eight  or  ten  miles 
to  fix  a  centre  for  the  next  day's  work.  There  is  little 
difference  between  one  day  and  another.  The  same  opera- 
tion of  "circling  in"  and  "cutting  out"  will  be  repeated 
till  every  acre  of  ground  in  the  allotted  district  has  been 


Bradford]  AMONG   THE   COW-BOYS.  137 

traversed.  In  the  "general  round-ups"  of  the  spring  each 
district  contains  several  thousand  square  miles,  and  the 
work  continues  for  six  weeks  or  more.  In  this  way  a  belt 
of  country  equal  in  length  to  the  distance  from  Portland 
to  Savannah  is  swept  over  by  the  "round-ups"  every  year. 
Before  this  nomadic  life  of  the  Plains  has  been  drained 
of  its  picturesque  elements  by  the  advance  of  civilization, 
I  hope  that  some  painter  may  arise  who  can  grasp  and 
worthily  fix  on  canvas  this  most  picturesque  scene  of 
American  life, — one  with  the  skill  of  a  Church  to  paint  the 
mountains  and  the  genius  of  a  Bonheur  to  catch  the  beauty 
of  free  animal  existence.  It  should  be  a  great  picture,  for 
in  its  distance  would  stand  the  continent's  mountainous 
head  crowned  with  its  shining  diadem,  while  in  the  nearer 
view  there  would  be  every  attitude  of  bold  horsemanship, 
every  phase  of  intense  muscular  activity,  brilliancy  of  cos- 
tumes, the  charm  of  wild  life,  the  beauty  of  freedom. 


AMONG  THE  COW-BOYS. 

LOUIS   C.  BRADFORD. 

[The  preceding  selection  may  be  fitly  followed  by  the  following 
description  of  life  among  the  cow-boys,  those  wild  and  wilful  cattle- 
guards  of  the  West,  whose  escapades  form  an  interesting  part  of  the 
romance  of  modern  times.] 

There  is  a  peculiar  fascination  in  the  wild  life  of  the 
cow-boys  which  tempts  many  young  men  of  culture  and 
refinement,  reared  in  the  enjoyment  of  every  luxury  in  the 
East,  but  of  adventurous  dispositions,  to  come  and  live 
with  these  rude  spirits  on  the  frontier.  Often  for  thirty- 
six  hours  continuously  in  the  saddle,  the  hardships  of  their 

12* 


138  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.]         [Bradford 

lot  are  apparent.  Cold  black  coffee,  without  sugar,  drunk 
whenever  the  opportunity  offers,  is  the  sole  luxury  of  the 
cow-boy.  With  a  piece  of  bread  in  one  hand  and  some 
jerked  beef  in  the  other,  he  will  ride  around  a  stampeded 
herd,  eating  as  he  goes,  and  as  happy  as  a  king  on  his 
throne.  When  night  comes,  provided  his  cattle  are  quiet, 
he  will  tie  his  horse  to  his  leg,  and,  "covered  with  his  hat," 
with  a  hummock  of  grass  for  his  pillow,  will  sleep  peace- 
fully on  the  broad  prairie,  and  dream  perchance  of  his 
sweetheart  far  back  in  "God's  country." 

Perhaps  his  dreams  will  be  rudely  disturbed  by  the 
thunder  of  a  thousand  hoofs,  as  his  cattle,  becoming  fright- 
ened at  some  noise,  have  stampeded,  and  the  grass  fairly 
pops  beneath  their  cloven  feet.  Then  it  is  he  does  his 
tallest  riding,  and,  circling  around  his  cows,  brings  them 
back  to  where  they  started.  If  a  wild  bull  becomes  ob- 
streperous and  .unruly,  a  rider  dashes  past  him,  and,  seizing 
his  tail  as  he  goes  by,  gives  it  a  twist  around  the  horn  of 
his  saddle,  and  in  a  trice  the  bull  is  fairly  slung  heels  over 
head  on  his  back.  Two  or  three  applications  of  this  dis- 
cipline will  generally  reduce  the  stiffening  in  a  bull's  tail 
to  a  minimum  and  render  him  as  docile  as  a  calf.  An  ex- 
pert cow-boy  can  rope,  throw  down,  and  tie  up  a  cow  in 
just  one  minute  from  the  timo  he  rides  up  to  her. 

But  a  man  knows  nothing  of  "punching  the  heifers" 
who  has  not  been  through  on  the  "trail"  to  Kansas.  Going 
for  days  together  without  eating,  never  out  of  the  saddle, 
mounting  a  fresh  horse  as  fast  as  one  is  broken  down,  the 
limit  of  endurance  is  reached,  and  one  who  has  stood  the 
test,  and  can  boast  of  having  "  busted  the  Indian  Nation 
square  open,"  attains  respect  in  the  cow-boy's  eyes,  and  is 
considered  to  have  taken  his  degree. 

In  1874  the  largest  drive  to  Kansas  ever  recorded  took 
place,  when  half  a  million  beeves  were  driven  through. 


Bradford]  AMONG   THE  COW-BOYS.  139 

The  trail  was  beaten  into  a  broad  path  a  mile  wide  and 
extending  fifteen  hundred  miles  in  length.  For  miles  and 
miles  the  string  of  lowing  herds  stretched  along,  while  the 
keen  riders  darted  hither  and  thither,  keeping  them  well 
on  the  trail.  At  night  the  voices  of  the  men  singing  to 
their  sleeping  cattle  could  be  heard  all  along  the  line,  while 
the  long  string  of  camp  fires,  throwing  their  lurid  glare 
against  the  black  vault  overhead,  called  back  to  the  minds 
of  many  old  gray-bearded  cow-boys  the  stormy  times  when 
similar  lines  of  light  glimmered  along  the  Eappahannock, 
and  pierced  tbe  murky  gloom  of  some  Virginia  night. 
Sometimes  the  music  of  a  violin,  sounding  strangely  shrill 
in  the  calm  night  air,  would  mingle  with  the  deep  tones  of 
voices  singing  "The  Maid  of  Monterey,"  or  "Shamus 
O'Brien,"  the  cow-boy's  favorite  tunes. 

In  passing  through  the  Indian  Nation  it  is  no  uncommon 
thing  for  a  band  of  Indians,  all  painted  and  varnished  up, 
to  ride  down  on  a  beef-herd,  and,  singling  out  the  finest 
cattle  in  the  bunch,  compel  the  white  owners  of  the  stock 
to  cut  them  out  in  a  separate  flock,  when  the  Indians  will 
gather  around  them  and  run  them  off".  Some  years  ago  a 
party  of  five  Indians  came  riding  down  on  a  herd  which 
was  resting  on  the  banks  of  a  small  creek,  and  demanded 
of  the  boss  herdsman  ten  of  the  fattest  steers  he  had.  The 
boss  was  a  bold  man,  and,  looking  around  on  his  fifteen 
stalwart  cow-boys,  swore  that  no  five  Indians  should  take 
his  beeves  from  him,  and,  using  the  polite  phraseology  of 
the  Plains,  told  his  redskin  visitors  to  "go  to  hell."  The 
baffled  five  retired  into  the  forest,  but  soon  returned  with 
an  increased  force  of  fifty  men,  who  charged  down  on  the 
defiant  herdsman,  whom  they  nearly  beat  to  death  with 
his  own  ramrod,  stampeded  his  cattle,  and  ran  off  two 
hundred  of  them  into  the  woods. 

It  is  a  wild,  rough  set  of  men  that  camp  around  the 


140  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Bradford 

herds  after  they  have  been  driven  through  the  Nation  and 
are  resting  on  the  grassy  plains  of  Kansas.  Clad  in  the 
soiled  and  dusty  jeans  of  the  trail,  for  weeks  in  succession 
no  water  has  touched  their  hands  or  faces,  and,  unshaven 
and  unshorn,  they  give  free  reign  to  their  exuberant  spirits, 
taking  some  quiet  Kansas  village  by  storm,  setting  the  tame 
local  laws  at  defiance,  and  compelling  the  authorities  to 
acknowledge  the  sovereignty  of  their  native  State. 

The  wages  earned  by  these  cow-boys  are  twenty-five 
dollars  a  month  while  they  are  herding  on  Texan  ranges ; 
but,  as  the  toil  and  hardship  encountered  on  the  trail  are 
so  great,  they  are  paid  thirty-five  dollars  a  month  during 
the  drive,  and  each  man  furnished  with  eight  ponies  to 
ride.  Some  of  them  return  home  by  rail,  visiting  the  cities 
of  St.  Louis  and  New  Orleans,  and  managing  to  be  de- 
spoiled of  all  their  hard-earned  money  during  their  brief 
sojourn  in  "  God's  country ;"  but  the  greater  number 
straddle  their  wiry  little  ponies  and  ride  back  through  the 
Nation  to  Texas. 

Not  ever}*  one  that  started  out  to  go  up  the  trail  lives  to 
get  back,  and  the  nameless  mounds  that  dot  the  sides  of 
that  broad  path  bear  mute  but  powerful  testimony  to  the 
danger  that  every  hour  surrounds  the  cow-boy.  Whether 
they  fall  by  a  shot  from  some  hostile  savage  lurking  in 
a  ravine  near  by,  or  are  dropped  by  a  six-shooter  in  the 
hands  of  a  fellow-herder,  they  are  hastily  buried  and  soon 
forgotten.  Entirely  free  from  the  restraining  power  of 
the  law,  men  give  free  rein  to  their  passions,  and  the  six- 
shooter  or  Winchester  rifle — the  inseparable  companions 
of  the  stock-drivers — is  freely  resorted  to  to  settle  disputed 
questions.  It  is  very  common  for  two  bosses  having  charge 
of  different  herds  to  jump  down  from  their  horses  and  pro- 
ceed to  crack  away  at  each  other  until  one  has  bitten  the 
dust. 


Bradford]  AMONG   THE  COW-BOYS.  141 

When  a  violent  storm,  accompanied  by  thunder  and 
lightning,  stampedes  the  cattle,  they  will  probably  get, 
mixed  up  with  two  or  three  other  herds,  and  much  labor 
and  confusion  results,  and  a  considerable  amount  of  tall 
swearing  and  fighting  takes  place  before  they  can  be  sep- 
arated and  each  herd  gotten  to  itself.  Every  animal,  be- 
sides the  regular  brand  of  the  owner,  has  his  tail  bobbed 
and  a  "road-mark"  put  upon  him  during  the  drive,  and  in 
a  mixed  herd  the  rider  goes  in  and  "cuts  out"  all  the 
cattle  that  bear  his  brand  and  runs  them  into  a  separate 
flock. 

When  cattle  are  sleeping  it  requires  very  little  to  stam- 
pede them.  A  loud  breath,  the  clank  of  a  chain  tied  to 
the  leg  of  a  wagon-mule,  or  the  galloping  of  a  horse  will 
sometimes  cause  them  to  be  up  and  gone  in  the  twinkling 
of  an  eye.  They  will  run  over  whatever  is  in  their  path, 
and  the  only  way  to  stop  them  is  to  get  them  to  "milling," 
or  travelling  in  a  circle,  when  they  will  wind  themselves 
up  like  a  ball  and  stop.  It  is  instinctive  with  them  to  run 
when  anjTthing  else  is  running,  and  away  they  go  at  the 
slightest  noise,  with  the  cow-boys  in  wild  pursuit  after 
them. 

Living  on  Stinking  Creek,  in  the  Indian  Territory,  just 
off  the  great  trail,  is  an  Irishman  named  Fitzpatrick,  who 
came  to  this  country  not  many  years  ago,  a  common  speci- 
men of  the  bog-trotting  Tipperary  Paddy.  Floating  on 
the  tide  of  emigration  westward,  he  finally  went  into  the 
Indian  Nation,  and,  building  a  cabin  in  the  timber  where 
the  trail  crossed  Stinking  Creek,  he  proceeded  to  gather 
up  the  cattle  that  dropped  from  the  great  herds  going 
through  or  were  lost  in  some  big  stampede.  His  business 
throve,  and  in  time  he  married  a  Choctaw  wife  and  went 
to  housekeeping,  and  to  day  he  is  the  owner  of  many  thou- 
sand beeves,  and  is  regarded  as  a  rising  stock-man.     Ho 


142  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Bradford 

still  collects  the  stampeded  cattle  in  the  creek  timber, — a 
striking  example  of  the  strange  ways  in  which  men  become 
rich.  More  than  one  big  s lock-man  in  Texas  began  his 
career  by  branding  the  mavericks,  or  wild  unbranded  and 
unclaimed  heifers,  found  in  the  river  timber.  As  an  in- 
stance of  the  manner  in  which  they  worked  up  a  herd,  it 
is  related  of  a  successful  stock-man  that  he  started  with  a 
solitary  steer,  which  he  turned  loose  on  the  prairie,  and 
the  first  year  he  branded  forty  calves !  .  .  . 

It  was  with  a  feeling  of  sincere  regret  that  the  writer 
of  these  lines,  meeting  with  a  severe  accident,  prepared  to 
return  to  where  his  home  nestled  in  the  Alleghanies,  after 
a  sojourn  of  eighteen  months  with  these  wild  riders  of  the 
plains.  Lest  the  impression  be  conveyed  that  these  are 
irreligious  and  godless  men,  let  the  reader  fancy  a  group 
of  men,  belted  and  spurred,  seated  in  a  rude  arbor,  listening 
reverently  to  a  tall  cow-boy  who  has  been  selected  by 
unanimous  choice  to  read  the  Scriptures,  and  he  can  form 
an  idea  of  the  last  Sunday  I  spent  with  the  cow-boys. 
With  slow  and  deliberate  utterance,  Phil  Claiborne  read 
out  the  words  of  the  golden  rule,  "  As  ye  would  that  men 
should  do  to  you,  do  ye  also  to  them  likewise."  Then  he 
proceeded:  "These,  my  hearers,  were  the  words  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  spoke  as  no  man  ever  spoke ;  and 
I  pledge  you  my  word,  gentlemen,  the  Bible  is  a  good  egg." 
Profound  attention  greeted  the  speaker,  and  continuing,  he 
said,  "Whatsoever  is  earthly  can  be  soon  replaced,  but  that 
which  is  on  yon  side  of  the  grave  is  eternal.  If  you  lose 
your  property,  you  may  acquire  more ;  if  you  lose  your 
wife,  you  may  marry  again  ;  if  you  lose  your  children,  you 
may  have  more ;  but  if  you  lose  your  immortal  soul,  then 
up  the  spout  you  go." 


Irving]  HUNTING   THE  BUFFALO.  143 


HUNTING  THE  BUFFALO. 

WASHINGTON   IRVING. 

[Washington  Irving's  experiences  were  not  confined  to  the  banks 
of  the  Hudson,  the  ruins  of  the  Alhamhra,  and  the  rural  scenes  of 
English  life,  but  were  extended  to  embrace  the  far  western  resrion  of 
his  own  country,  a  region  at  that  time  still  the  domain  of  savage 
nature.  In  1832,  the  year  embraced  in  his  "  Tour  on  the  Prairies,"  the 
buffalo,  or  bison,  now  nearly  extinct,  roamed  in  vast  herds  over  the 
treeless  plains,  and  wild  horses  were  little  less  abundant  in  the  same 
broad  region.  The  work  in  question  is  principally  devoted  to  incidents 
of  a  hunter's  life  in  pursuit  of  these  two  animals.  The  scene  lies  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  upper  waters  of  the  Red  liiver.] 

After  proceeding  about  two  hours  in  a  southerly- 
direction,  we  emerged  towards  mid-day  from  the  dreary 
belt  of  the  Cross  Timber,  and  to  our  infinite  delight  beheld 
"  the  great  prairie,"  stretching  to  the  right  and  left  before 
us.  We  could  distinctly  trace  the  meandering  course  of 
the  main  Canadian  and  various  smaller  streams  by  the 
strips  of  green  forest  that  bordered  them.  The  landscape 
was  vast  and  beautiful.  There  is  always  an  expansion  of 
feeling  in  looking  upon  these  boundless  and  fertile  wastes ; 
but  I  was  doubly  conscious  of  it  after  emerging  from  our 
"close  dungeon  of  innumerous  boughs." 

From  a  rising  ground  Beatte  [an  Indian  member  of  the 
party]  pointed  out  to  the  place  where  he  and  his  comrades 
had  killed  the  buffaloes;  and  wo  beheld  several  black 
objects  moving  in  the  distance  which  ho  said  wore  part  of 
the  herd.  The  captain  determined  to  shape  his  course  to 
a  woody  bottom  about  a  mile  distant  and  to  encamp  there 
for  a  day  or  two,  by  way  of  having  a  regular  buffalo-hunt 
and  getting  a  supply  of  provisions. 


144  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Irving 

As  the  troop  defiled  along  the  slope  of  the  hill  towards 
the  camping-ground,  Beatte  proposed  to  my  messmates  and 
myself  that  we  should  put  oui'selves  under  his  guidance, 
promising  to  take  us  where  we  should  have  plenty  of  sport. 
Leaving  the  line  of  march,  therefore,  we  diverged  towards 
the  prairie,  traversing  a  small  valley  and  ascending  a 
gentle  swell  of  land.  As  we  reached  the  summit  we 
beheld  a  gang  of  wild  horses  about  a  mile  off.  Beatte  was 
immediately  on  the  alert,  and  no  longer  thought  of  buffalo- 
hunting.  He  was  mounted  on  his  powerful  half-wild 
horse,  with  a  lariat  coiled  at  the  saddle  bow,  and  set  off  in 
pursuit,  while  we  remained  on  a  rising  ground  watching 
his  manoeuvres  with  great  solicitude. 

Taking  advantage  of  a  strip  of  woodland,  he  stole 
quietly  along,  so  as  to  get  close  to  them  before  he  was 
perceived.  The  moment  they  caught  sight  of  him  a  grand 
scamper  took  place.  We  watched  him  skirting  along  the 
horizon  like  a  privateer  in  full  chase  of  a  merchantman  ; 
at  length  he  passed  over  the  brow  of  a  ridge  and  down 
into  a  shallow  valley ;  in  a  few  moments  he  was  on  the 
opposite  hill,  and  close  upon  one  of  the  horses.  He  was 
soon  head  and  head,  and  appeared  to  be  trying  to  noose  his 
prey ;  but  they  both  disappeared  again  below  the  hill,  and 
we  saw  no  more  of  them.  It  turned  out  afterwards  that 
he  had  noosed  a  powerful  horse,  but  could  not  hold  him, 
and  had  lost  his  lariat  in  the  attempt. 

While  we  were  waiting  for  his  return,  we  perceived  two 
buffalo  bulls  descending  a  slope  towards  a  stream  which 
wound  through  a  ravine  fringed  with  trees.  The  young 
count  and  myself  endeavored  to  get  near  them  under  covert 
of  the  trees.  They  discovered  us  while  we  were  yet  three 
or  four  hundred  yards  off,  and,  turning  about,  retreated  up 
the  rising  ground.  We  urged  our  horses  across  the  ravine 
and    gave    chase.      The    immense    weight    of   head    and 


Irving]  HUNTING    THE  BUFFALO.  145 

shoulders  caused  the  buffalo  to  labor  heavily  up-hill ;  but 
it  accelerates  his  descent.  "We  had  the  advantage,  there- 
fore, and  gained  rapidly  upon  the  fugitives,  though  it  was 
difficult  to  get  our  horses  to  approach  them,  their  very 
scent  inspired  them  with  terror.  The  count,  who  had  a 
double  barrelled  gun  loaded  with  ball,  fired,  but  missed. 
The  bulls  now  altered  their  course,  and  galloped  down-hill 
with  headlong  rapidity.  As  they  ran  in  different  directions, 
we  each  singled  one  and  separated. 

I  was  provided  with  a  brace  of  veteran  brass-barrelled 
pistols  which  I  had  borrowed  at  Fort  Gibson,  and  which 
had  evidently  seen  some  service.  Pistols  are  very  effective 
in  buffalo-hunting,  as  the  hunter  can  ride  up  close  to  the 
animal,  and  fire  at  it  while  at  full  speed ;  whereas  the  long 
heavy  rifles  used  on  the  frontier  cannot  be  easily  managed, 
nor  discharged  with  accurate  aim  from  horseback.  My 
object,  therefore,  was  to  get  within  pistol-shot  of  the  buffalo. 
This  was  no  very  easy  matter.  I  was  well  mounted  on  a 
horse  of  excellent  speed  and  bottom  that  seemed  eager  for 
the  chase,  and  soon  overtook  the  game ;  but  the  moment 
he  came  nearly  parallel,  he  would  keep  sheei'ing  off  with 
ears  forked  and  pricked  forward,  and  every  symptom  of 
aversion  and  alarm.  It  was  no  wonder.  Of  all  animals,  a 
buffalo,  when  close  pressed  by  the  hunter,  has  an  aspect  the 
most  diabolical.  His  two  short  black  horns  curve  out  of  a 
huge  frontlet  of  shaggy  hair;  his  eyes  glow  like  coals;  his 
mouth  is  open,  his  tongue  parched  and  drawn  up  into  a 
half  crescent;  his  tail  is  erect,  and  tufted  and  whisked 
about  in  the  air ;  ho  is  a  perfect  picture  of  mingled  rage  and 
terror. 

It  was  with  difficulty  I  urged  my  horse  sufficiently  near, 

when,  taking  aim,  to  my  chagrin,  both  pistols  missed  fire. 

Unfortunately,  the  locks  of  these  veteran  weapons  were  so 

much  worn  that  in  the  gallop  the  priming  had  been  shaken 

i.— o       k  13 


146  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  Living 

out  of  the  pans.  At  the  snapping  of  the  last  pistol  I  was 
close  upon  the  buffalo,  when,  in  his  despair,  he  turned 
round  with  a  sudden  snort  and  rushed  upon  me.  My 
horse  wheeled  about  as  if  on  a  pivot,  made  a  convulsive 
spring,  and,  as  I  had  been  leaning  on  one  side  with  pistol 
extended,  I  came  near  being  thrown  at  the  feet  of  the 

0UThr°ee  or  four  bounds  of  the  horse  carried  us  out  of  the 
reach  of  the  enemy ;  who,  having  merely  turned  in  des- 
perate self-defence,  quickly  resumed  his  flight.     As  soon  as 
I  could  gather  in  my  panic-stricken  horse  and  prime  the 
pistols  afresh,  I  again  spurred  in  pursuit  of  the  buffalo 
who  had  slackened  his  speed  to  take  breath       On  my 
approach  he  again  set  off  full  tilt,  heaving  himself  forward 
with  a  heavy  rolling  gallop,  dashing  with  headlong  precipi- 
tation through  brakes  and  ravines,  while  several  deer  and 
wolves,   startled    from  their   coverts   by  his    thundering 
career,  ran  helter-skelter  to  right  and  left  across  the  waste 
A  gallop  across  the  prairies  in  pursuit  of  game  is  by  no 
means  so  smooth  a  career  as  those  may  imagine  who  have 
only  the  idea  of  an  open  level  plain.     It  is  true  the  prairies 
of  the  hunting-ground  are  not  so  much  entangled  with 
flowering  plants  and  long  herbage  as  the  lower  prairie 
and  are  principally  covered  with  short  buffalo-grass;  bu 
they  are  diversified  by  hill  and  dale,  and  where  most  level 
are  apt  to  be  cut  up  by  deep  rifts  and  ravines,  made  by 
torrents  after  rains;  and  which,  after  yawning  from  an 
even  surface,  are  almost  like  pitfalls  in  the  way  of  the 
hunter,  checking  him  suddenly  when  in  full  career    or 
subjecdng  him  fo  the  risk  of  limb  and  life      The  plains 
too    are  beset  by  burrowing  holes  of  smal    animals,  in 
wSoh  the  horse  is  apt  to  sink  to  the  fetlock  and  throw 
both  himself  and  his  rider.     The  late  rain  had  covered 
some  parts  of  the  prairie,  where  the  ground  was  hard,  with 


Irving]  HUNTING   THE  BUFFALO.  147 

a  thin  sheet  of  water,  through  which  the  horse  had  to 
splash  his  way.  In  other  parts  there  were  innumerable 
shallow  hollows,  eight  or  ten  feet  in  diameter,  made  by  the 
buffaloes,  who  wallow  in  sand  and  mud  like  swine.  These 
being  filled  with  water,  shone  like  mirrors,  so  that  the 
horse  was  continually  leaping  over  them  or  springing  on 
one  side.  We  had  reached,  too,  a  rough  part  of  the  prairie, 
very  much  broken  and  cut  up;  the  buffalo,  who  was 
running  for  life,  took  no  heed  to  his  course,  plunging  down 
break-neck  ravines,  where  it  was  necessary  to  skirt  the 
borders  in  search  of  a  safer  descent.  At  length  we  came 
to  where  a  winter  stream  had  torn  a  deep  chasm  across  the 
whole  prairie,  leaving  open  jagged  rocks,  and  forming  a 
long  glen  bordered  by  steep  crumbling  cliffs  of  mingled 
stone  and  clay.  Down  one  of  these  the  buffalo  flung  him- 
self*, half  tumbling,  half  leaping,  and  then  scuttled  along 
the  bottom ;  while  I,  seeing  all  further  pursuit  useless, 
pulled  up,  and  gazed  quietly  after  him  from  the  border  of 
the  cliff,  until  he  disappeared  amidst  the  windings  of  the 
ravine. 

Nothing  now  remained  but  to  turn  my  steed  and  rejoin 
my  companions.  Here  at  first  was  some  little  difficulty. 
The  ardor  of  the  chase  had  betrayed  me  into  a  long, 
heedless  gallop.  I  now  found  myself  in  the  midst  of  a 
lonely  waste,  in  which  the  prospect  was  bounded  by  undu- 
lating swells  of  land,  naked  and  uniform,  where,  from  the 
deficiency  of  landmarks  and  distinct  features,  an  inex- 
perienced man  may  become  bewildered,  and  lose  his  way 
as  readily  as  in  the  wastes  of  the  ocean.  The  day,  loo, 
was  overcast,  so  that  I  could  not  guide  myself  by  the  sun  ; 
my  only  mode  was  to  retrace  the  track  my  horse  had  made 
in  coming,  though  this  I  would  often  lose  sight  of,  where 
the  ground  was  covered  with  parched  herbage. 

To  one  unaccustomed  to  it,  there   is  something  inex- 


148  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Irving 

pressibly  lonely  in  the  solitude  of  a  prairie.    The  loneliness 
of  a  forest  seems  nothing  to  it.     There  the  view  is  shut  in 
by  trees,  and  the  imagination  is  left  free  to  picture  some 
livelier  scene  beyond.      But  here   we   have  an  immense 
extent  of  landscape  without  a  sign  of  human  existence. 
We  have  the  consciousness  of  being  far,  far  beyond  tne 
bounds  of  human  habitation  ;  we  feel  as  if  moving  in  the 
midst  of  a  desert  world.     As  my  horse  lagged  slowly  back 
over  the  scenes  of  our  late  scamper,  and  the  delirium  of 
the  chase  had  passed  away,  I  was  peculiarly  sensible  to 
these  circumstances.     The  silence  of  the  waste  was  now 
and  then  broken  by  the  cry  of  a  distant  flock  of  pelicans, 
stalking  like  spectres  about  a  shallow  pool ;  sometimes  by 
the  sinister  croaking  of  a  raven  in  the  air,  while  occasion- 
ally  a  scoundrel  wolf  would  scour  off  from  before  me,  and 
having  attained  a  safe  distance,  would  sit  down  and  howl 
and  whine  with  tones  that  gave  a  dreariness  to  the  sur- 
rounding solitude. 

After  pursuing  my  way  for  some  time,  I  descried  a  horse- 
man on  the  edge  of  a  distant  hill,  and  soon  recognized  him 
to  be  the  count.  He  had  been  equally  unsuccessful  with 
myself;  we  were  shortly  afterwards  rejoined  by  our  worthy 
comrade,  the  Vertuoso,  who,  with  spectacles  on  nose,  had 
made  two  or  three  ineffectual  shots  from  horseback. 

We  determined  not  to  seek  the  camp  until  we  had  made 
one  more  effort.  Casting  our  eyes  about  the  surrounding 
waste,  we  described  a  herd  of  buffalo  about  two  miles  dis- 
tant, scattered  apart,  and  quietly  grazing  near  a  small 
strip  of  trees  and  bushes.  It  required  but  little  stretch  of 
fancy  to  picture  them  as  so  many  cattle  grazing  on  the  edge 
of  a  common,  and  that  the  grove  might  shelter  some  lowly 

farm-house. 

We  now  formed  our  plan  to  circumvent  the  herd,  and 
by  getting  on  the  other  side  of  thorn,  to  hunt  them  in  the 


Irving]  HUNTING    THE  BUFFALO.  149 

direction  where  we  knew  our  camp  to  be  situated ;  other- 
wise, the  pursuit  might  take  us  to  such  a  distance  as  to 
render  it  impossible  for  us  to  find  our  way  back  before 
night-fall.  Taking  a  wide  circuit,  therefore,  we  moved 
slowly  and  cautiously,  pausing  occasionally  when  we  saw 
any  of  the  herd  desist  from  grazing.  The  wind  fortunately 
set  from  them,  otherwise  they  might  have  scented  us  and 
have  taken  the  alarm.  In  this  way  we  succeeded  in 
getting  round  the  herd  without  disturbing  it.  It  consisted 
of  about  forty  head,  bulls,  cows,  and  calves. 

Separating  to  some  distance  from  each  other,  we  now 
approached  slowly  in  a  parallel  line,  hoping  by  degrees  to 
steal  near  without  exciting  attention.  They  began,  how- 
ever, to  move  off  quietly,  stopping  at  every  step  or  two  to 
graze,  when  suddenly  a  bull  that,  unobserved  by  us,  had 
been  taking  his  siesta  under  a  clump  of  trees  to  our  left, 
roused  himself  from  his  lair  and  hastened  to  join  his 
companions.  We  were  still  at  a  considerable  distance,  but 
the  game  had  taken  the  alarm.  We  quickened  our  pace, 
they  broke  into  a  gallop,  and  now  commenced  a  full  chase. 

As  the  ground  was  level,  they  shouldered  along  with 
great  speed,  following  each  other  in  a  line;  two  or  three 
bulls  bringing  up  the  rear,  the  last  of  whom,  from  his 
enormous  size  and  venerable  frontlet,  and  beard  of  sun- 
burnt hair,  looked  like  the  patriarch  of  the  herd,  and  as 
if  he  might  long  have  reigned  the  monarch  of  the  prairie. 

There  is  a  mixture  of  the  awful  and  the  comic  in  the 
look  of  these  huge  animals,  as  they  bear  their  great  bulk 
forward,  with  an  up-and-down  motion  of  the  unwieldy 
head  and  shoulders,  their  tail  cocked  up  like  the  queue  of 
pantaloon  in  a  pantomime,  the  end  whisking  about  in  a 
fierce  yet  whimsical  style,  and  their  e^'es  glaring  venom- 
ously with  an  expression  of  fright  and  fury. 

For  some  time  I  kept  parallel  with  the  line  without 


15o  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Irving 

bein<r  able  to  force  my  horse  within  pistol-shot,  so  much 
had  lie  been  alarmed  by  the  assault  of  the  buffalo  in  the 
preceding  chase.  At  length  I  succeeded,  but  was  again 
balked  by  my  pistols  missing  fire.  My  companions,  whose 
horses  where  less  fleet  and   more  way-worn,  could   not 

overtake  the  herd ;  at  length  Mr.  L ,  who  was  m  the 

rear  of  the  line  and  losing  ground,  levelled  his  double- 
barrelled  gun  and  fired  a  long  raking  shot.     It  struck  a 
buffalo  just    above    the   loins,   broke    its   backbone,   and 
brought  it  to  the  ground.     He  stopped  and  alighted  to 
despatch  his  prey,  when,  borrowing  his  gun,  which  had  yet 
a  charge  remaining  in  it,  I  put  my  horse  to  his  speed,  and 
again  overtook  the  herd,  which  was  thundering  along,  pur- 
sued by  the  count.     With  my  present  weapon  there  was 
no  need  of  urging  my  horse  to  such  close  quarters ;  gallop- 
ing along  parallel,  therefore,  I  singled  out  a  buffalo,  and  by 
a  fortunate  shot  brought  it  down  on  the  spot.     The  ball 
had  struck  a  vital  part ;  it  would  not  move  from  the  place 
where  it  fell,  but  lay  there  struggling  in  mortal  agony, 
while  the  rest  of  the  herd  kept  on  their  headlong  career 

across  the  prairie. 

Dismounting,  I  now  fettered  my  horse  to  prevent  his 
straying,  and  advanced  to  contemplate  my  victim.     I  am 
nothing  of  a  sportsman  :  I  had  been  prompted  to  this  un- 
wonted exploit  by  the  magnitude  of  the  game  and  the 
excitement  of  an  adventurous  chase.     Now  that  the  ex- 
citement was  over,  I  could  but  look  with  commiseration 
upon  the  poor  animal  that  lay  struggling  and  bleeding  at 
my  feet.     His  very  size  and  importance,  which  had  before 
inspired  me  with  eagerness,  now  increased  my  compunction. 
It  seemed  as  if  I  had  inflicted  pain  in  proportion  to  the 
bulk  of  my  victim,  and  as  if  there  were  a  hundred-fold 
greater  waste  of  life  than  there  would  have  been  in  the 
destruction  of  an  animal  of  inferior  size. 


Irving]  HUNTING   THE  BUFFALO.  151 

To  add  to  these  after-qualms  of  conscience,  the  poor 
animal  lingered  in  his  agony.  He  had  evidently  received 
a  mortal  wound,  but  death  might  be  long  in  coming.  It 
would  not  do  to  leave  him  here  to  be  torn  piecemeal,  while 
yet  alive,  by  the  wolves  that  had  alread}'  snuffed  his  blood, 
and  were  skulking  and  howling  at  a  distance,  and  waiting 
for  my  departure,  and  by  the  ravens  that  were  flapping 
about  croaking  dismally  in  the  air.  It  became  now  an  act 
of  mercy  to  give  him  his  quietus  and  put  him  out  of  his 
misery.  I  primed  one  of  the  pistols,  therefore,  and 
advanced  close  up  to  the  buffalo.  To  inflict  a  wound  thus 
in  cool  blood  I  found  a  totally  different  thing  from  firing 
in  the  heat  of  the  chase.  Taking  aim,  however,  just 
behind  the  fore  shoulder,  my  pistol  for  once  proved  true; 
the  ball  must  have  passed  through  the  heart,  for  the  animal 
gave  one  convulsive  throe  and  expired. 

While  I  stood  meditating  and  moralizing  over  the  wreck 
I  had  so  wantonly  produced,  with  my  horse  grazing  near 
me,  I  was  rejoined  by  my  fellow-sportsman  the  Virtuoso ; 
who,  being  a  man  of  universal  adroitness,  and  withal,  more 
experienced  and  hardened  in  the  gentle  art  of  "venerie," 
soon  managed  to  carve  out  the  tongue  of  the  buffalo,  and 
delivered  it  to  me  to  bear  back  to  the  camp  as  a  trophy. 

Our  solicitude  was  now  awakened  for  the  young  count. 
With  his  usual  eagerness  and  impetuosity  he  had  persisted 
in  urging  his  jaded  horse  in  pursuit  of  the  herd,  unwilling 
to  return  without  having  likewise  killed  a  buffalo.  In  this 
way  he  had  kept  on  following  them  hither  and  thither, 
and  occasionally  firing  an  ineffectual  shot,  until  by  degrees 
horseman  and  herd  became  indistinct  in  the  distance,  and 
at  length  swelling  ground  and  strips  of  trees  and  thickets 
hid  them  entirely  from  sight. 

By  the  time  my  friend,  the  amateur,  joined  me,  the 
young  count  had  been  long  lost  to  view.     We  held  a  con- 


152  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Irving 

sultation  on  the  matter.     Evening  was  drawing  on.     Were 
we  to  pursue  him,  it  would  be  dark  before  we  should  over- 
take him,  granting  we  did  not  entirely  lose  trace  of  him  in 
the  gloom.     We  should  then  be  too  much  bewildered  to 
find   our  way  back  to  the   encampment;    even  now  our 
return  would  be  difficult.      We  determined,  therefore,  to 
hasten  to  the  camp  as  speedily  as  possible,  and  send  out 
our  half-breeds  and  some  of  the  veteran  hunters,  skilled 
in  cruising  about  the  prairies,  to  search  for  our  companion. 
We  accordingly  set  forward  in  what  we  supposed  to  be 
the  direction  of  the  camp.     Our  weary  horses  could  hardly 
be  urged  beyond  a  walk.     The  twilight  thickened  upon  us ; 
the  landscape  grew  gradually  indistinct ;  we  tried  in  vain 
to  recognize  various  landmarks  which  we  had  noted  in  the 
morning.     The  features  of  a  prairie  are  so  similar  as  to 
baffle  the  eye  of  any  but  an  Indian  or  a  practised  woods- 
man.    At  length  night  closed  in.      We  hoped  to  see  the 
distant  glare  of  camp-fires ;  we  listened  to  catch  the  sound 
of  the  bells  about  the  necks  of  the  grazing  horses.     Once 
or  twice  we  thought  we  distinguished  them :  we  were  mis- 
taken.    Nothing  was  to  be  heard  but  a  monotonous  con- 
cert of  insects,  with   now  and  then  the  dismal  howl  of 
wolves  mingling  with  the  night  breeze.      We  began  to 
think  of  halting  for  the  night  and  bivouacking  under  the 
lee  of  some  thicket.     We  had  implements  to  strike  a  light ; 
there  was  plenty  of  firewood  at  hand,  and  the  tongues  of 
our  buffaloes  would  furnish  us  with  a  repast. 

Just  as  we  were  preparing  to  dismount  we  heard  the 
report  of  a  rifle,  and  shortly  after  the  notes  of  the  bugle, 
calling  up  the  night  guard.  Pushing  forward  in  that 
direction,  the  camp-fires  soon  broke  on  our  sight,  gleaming 
at  a  distance  from  among  the  thick  groves  of  an  alluvial 

bottom. 

As  we  entered  the  camp,  we  found  it  a  scene  of  rude 


Lewis]         IN  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  SIOUX.  153 

hunters'  revelry  and  wassail.  There  had  been  a  grand 
day's  sport  in  which  all  had  taken  a  part.  Eight  buffaloes 
had  been  killed  ;  roaring  fires  were  blazing  on  every  side ; 
all  hands  were  feasting  upon  roasted  joints,  broiled  marrow 
bones,  and  the  juicy  hump,  far  famed  among  the  epicures 
of  the  prairies.  Right  glad  were  we  to  dismount  and  par- 
take of  the  sturdy  cheer,  for  we  had  been  on  our  weary 
horses  since  morning  without  tasting  food. 

[It  may  be  said  in  conclusion  that  the  count — a  young  Swiss  who 
accompanied  the  party — failed  to  return,  and  the  next  day  a  search  for 
him  had  to  be  made,  in  which  the  Indians  displayed  strikingly  their 
surprising  skill  in  following  a  trail.  The  missing  adventurer  was  at 
length  found.  He  had  spent  the  night  in  a  tree  for  fear  of  wolves,  and 
was  heartily  glad  to  see  the  face  of  his  fellow-man  again.] 


IN  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  SIOUX. 

MERIWETHER   LEWIS. 

[The  following  selection,  here  attributed  to  Captain  M.  Lewis,  is 
taken  from  McVickar's  abridgment  of  the  journals  of  Lewis  and 
Clarke,  the  leaders  of  the  celebrated  expedition  of  1804-6,  sent  out 
by  President  Jetferson  to  explore  the  country  which  he  had  obtained 
by  treaty  from  France  as  part  of  the  Louisiana  purchase.  The  ex- 
plorers passed  across  the  plains  and  the  Rocky  Mountains  while  their 
pristine  conditions  were  as  yet  undisturbed  by  the  "  white  man's  foot," 
and  their  story  is  of  particular  value  from  this  fact.  We  take  up 
their  story  in  their  journey  through  the  Sioux  country,  on  the  Mis- 
souri.    They  had  just  passed  a  village  of  the  Poncara  tribe.] 

Twenty  miles  farther  on  [continues  the  narrative]  we 
reached  and  encamped  at  the  foot  of  a  round  mountain  on 
.the  south,  having  passed  two  small  islands.     This  moun- 
tain, which  is  about  three  hundred  feet  at  the  base,  forms 


154  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Lewis 

a  cone  at  the  top,  resembling  a  dome  at  a  distance,  and 
seventy  feet  or  more  above  the  surrounding   highlands. 
As  we  descended  from  this  dome,  we  arrived  at  a  spot  on 
the  gradual  descent  of  the  hill,  nearly  four  acres  in  extent, 
and  covered  with  small  holes;  these  are  the  residence  of  a 
little  animal,  called  by  the  French  petit  chien  (little  dog), 
which  sit  erect  near  the  mouth,  and  make  a  whistling 
noise,  but,  when  alarmed,  take  refuge  in  their  holes.     In 
order  to  bring  them  out,  we  poured  into  one  of  the  holes 
five  barrels  of  water,  without  filling  it,  but  we  dislodged 
and  caught  the  owner.     After  digging  down  another  of 
the  holes  for  six  feet,  we  found,  on  running  a  pole  into  it, 
that  we  had  not  yet  dug  half-way  to  the  bottom ;  we  discov- 
ered, however,  two  frogs  in  the  hole,  and  near  it  we  killed 
a  dark  rattlesnake,  which  had  swallowed  a  small  praine- 
do".     We  were  also  informed,  though  we  never  witnessed 
the  fact,  that  a  sort  of  lizard  and  a  snake  live  habitually 
with  these  animals.     The  petit  chien  are  justly  named,  as 
they  resemble  a  small  dog  in  some  particulars,  although  they 
have  also  some  points  of  similarity  to  the  squirrel.     The 
head  resembles  the  squirrel  in  every  respect,  except  that  the 
ear  is  shorter ;  the  tail  like  that  of  the  ground-squirrel ;  the 
toe-nails  are  long,  the  fur  is  fine,  and  the  long  hair  is  gray 
The  following  days  they  saw  large  herds  of  buffalo,  and 
the  copses  of  timber  appeared  to  contain  elk  and  deer. 
Just  below  Cedar  Island  [adds  the  journal],  on  a  hill  to 
the  south,  is  the  backbone  of  a  fish,  forty-five  feet  long, 
tapering  towards  the  tail,  and  in  a  perfect  state  of  petri- 
faction, fragments  of  which  were  collected  and  sent  to 

"Washington.  ... 

September  17.—  While  some  of  the  party  were  engaged  in 
the  same  way  as  yesterday,  others  were  employed  in  exam- 
ining the  surrounding  country.  About  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
beyond  our  camp,  and  at  an  elevation  of  twenty  feet  above 


Lewis]         IN  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  SIOUX.  155 

it,  a  plain  extends  nearly  three  miles  parallel  to  the  river, 
and  about  a  mile  back  to  the  hills,  towards  which  it  grad- 
ually ascends.  Here  we  saw  a  grove  of  plum-trees,  loaded 
with  fruit,  now  ripe,  and  differing  in  nothing  from  those 
of  the  Atlantic  States,  except  that  the  tree  is  smaller  and 
more  thickly  set.  The  ground  of  the  plain  is  occupied  by 
the  burrows  of  multitudes  of  barking  squirrels,  who  entice 
hither  the  wolves  of  a  small  kind,  hawks,  and  polecats,  all 
of  which  animals  we  saw,  and  presumed  that  they  fed  on 
the  squirrel.  This  plain  is  intersected,  nearly  in  its  whole 
extent,  by  deep  ravines,  and  steep,  irregular  rising  grounds, 
from  one  to  two  hundred  feet.  On  ascending  the  range  of 
hills  which  border  the  plain,  we  saw  a  second  high  level 
plain,  stretching  to  the  south  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach. 
To  the  westward  a  high  range  of  hills,  about  twenty  miles 
distant,  runs  nearly  north  and  south,  but  not  to  an}*  great 
extent,  as  their  rise  and  termination  is  embraced  by  one 
view,  and  they  seemed  covered  with  a  verdure  similar  to 
that  of  the  plains.  The  same  view  extended  over  the 
irregular  hills  which  border  the  northern  side  of  the  Mis- 
souri. 

All  around,  the  countrj*  had  been  recently  burned,  and  a 
young  green  grass  about  four  inches  high  covered  the 
ground,  which  was  enlivened  by  herds  of  antelopes  ami 
buffalo,  the  last  of  which  were  in  such  multitudes  that  we 
cannot  exaggerate  in  saying  that  at  a  single  glance  we  saw 
three  thousand  of  them  before  us.  Of  all  the  animals  we 
had  seen,  the  antelope  seems  to  possess  the  most  wonderful 
fleetness.  Shy  and  timorous,  they  generally  repose  only  on 
the  ridges,  which  command  a  view  of  all  the  approaches  of 
an  enemy;  the  acutencss  of  their  sight  distinguishes  the 
most  distant  danger;  the  delicate  sensibility  of  their  smell 
defeats  the  precautions  of  concealment ;  and,  when  alarmed, 
their  rapid  career  seems  more  like  the  flight  of  birds  than 


156  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Lewis 

the  movements  of  a  quadruped.  After  many  unsuccessful 
attempts,  Captain  Lewis  at  last,  by  winding  around  the 
ridges,  approached  a  party  of  seven,  which  were  on  an 
eminence  towards  which  the  wind  was  unfortunately 
blowing.  The  only  male  of  the  party  frequently  encircled 
the  summit  of  the  hill,  as  if  to  announce  any  danger  to  the 
females,  which  formed  a  group  at  the  top.  Although  they 
did  not  see  Captain  Lewis,  the  smell  alarmed  them,  and 
they  fled  when  he  was  at  the  distance  of  two  hundred 
yards ;  he  immediately  ran  to  the  spot  where  they  had 
been;  a  ravine  concealed  them  from  him;  but  the  next 
moment  they  appeared  on  a  second  ridge,  at  a  distance  of 
three  miles.  He  doubted  whether  they  could  be  the  same ; 
but  their  number,  and  the  extreme  rapidity  with  which 
they  continued  their  course,  convinced  him  that  they  must 
have  gone  with  a  speed  equal  to  that  of  the  most  distin- 
guished racehorse.  Among  our  acquisitions  to-day  were 
a  mule  deer,  a  magpie,  a  common  deer,  and  a  buffalo. 
Captain  Lewis  also  saw  a  hare,  and  killed  a  rattlesnake 
near  the  burrows  of  the  barking  squirrels. 

September  18. — Having  everything  in  readiness,  we  pro- 
ceeded, with  the  boat  much  lightened,  but  the  wind  being 
from  the  northwest,  we  made  but  little  wa}'.  At  one  mile 
we  reached  an  island  in  the  middle  of  the  river,  nearly  a 
mile  in  length,  and  covered  with  red  cedar ;  at  its  extremity 
a  small  creek  comes  in  from  the  north.  We  then  met 
some  sand-bars,  and  tho  wind  being  very  high  and  ahead, 
we  encamped  on  the  south,  having  made  only  seven  miles. 
In  addition  to  the  common  deer,  which  were  in  great  abun- 
dance, we  saw  goats,  elk,  buffalo,  and  the  black-tailed  deer; 
the  large  wolves,  too,  are  very  numerous,  and  have  long 
hair  with  coarse  fur,  and  are  of  a  light  color.  A  small 
species  of  wolf,  about  the  size  of  a  gray  fox,  was  also  killed, 
and  proved  to  be  the  animal  which  wo  had  hitherto  mis- 


Lkwis]         IN  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  SIOUX.  157 

taken  for  a  fox.     There  are  also  many  porcupines,  rabbits, 
and  barking  squirrels  in  the  neighborhood.  .  .  . 

On  the  2Uth  they  arrived  at  the  Grand  Detour,  or  Great 
Bend,  and  two  men  were  despatched  with  the  only  horse 
to  hunt,  and  wait  the  arrival  of  the  boats  beyond  it.  After 
proceeding  twenty-seven  and  a  half  miles  farther,  they  en- 
camped on  a  sand-bar  in  the  river.  Captain  Clarke, 
[continues  the  narrative],  who  early  this  morning  had 
crossed  the  neck  of  the  bend,  joined  us  in  the  evening.  At 
the  narrowest  part  the  gorge  is  composed  of  high  and  ir- 
regular hills  of  about  one  hundred  and  eighty  or  one  hun- 
dred and  ninety  feet  in  elevation  ;  from  this  descends  an 
unbroken  plain  over  the  whole  of  the  bend,  and  the  country 
is  separated  from  it  by  this  ridge.  Great  numbers  of  buf- 
falo, elk,  and  goats  are  wandering  over  these  plains,  accom- 
panied by  grouse  and  larks.  Captain  Clarke  saw  a  hare, 
also,  on  the  Great  Bend. 

Of  the  goats  killed  to-day,  one  is  a  female,  differing  from 
the  male  in  being  smaller  in  size ;  its  horns,  too,  are  smaller 
and  straighter,  having  one  short  prong,  and  no  black  about 
the  neck.  None  of  these  goats  have  any  beard,  but  are 
delicately  formed  and  very  beautiful. 

Shortly  after  midnight  the  sleepers  were  startled  by  the 
sergeant  on  guard  crying  out  that  the  sand-bar  was  sink- 
ing, and  the  alarm  was  given  ;  for  scarcely  had  they  got 
off  with  the  boats  before  the  bank  under  which  they  had 
been  lying  fell  in ;  and  by  the  time  the  opposite  shore  was 
reached  the  ground  on  which  they  had  been  encamped 
sunk  also.  A  man  who  was  sent  to  step  off  the  distance 
across  the  head  of  the  bend  made  it  but  two  thousand 
yards,  while  its  circuit  is  thirty  miles.  On  the  22d  they 
passed  a  creek  and  two  islands,  known  by  the  name  of 
the  Three  Sisters,  where  a  beautiful  plain  extended  on 
both  sides  of  the  river.    This  is  followed  by  an  island  on 

14 


158  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Lewis 

the  north,  called  Cedar  Island,  about  one  mile  and  a  half 
in  length,  and  the  same  distance  in  breadth,  and  deriving 
its  name  from  the  quality  of  its  timber.  On  the  south  side 
of  this  island  is  a  fort  and  a  large  trading  house,  built  by  a 
Mr.  Loisel  in  order  to  trade  with  the  Sioux,  the  remains  of 
whose  camps  are  in  great  numbers  about  this  place.  The 
establishment  is  sixty  or  seventy  feet  square,  built  with 
red  cedar,  and  picketed  in  with  the  same  materials. 

The  next  day,  in  the  evening,  three  boys  of  the  Sioux 
nation  swam  across  the  river,  and  informed  them  that  two 
parties  of  Sioux  were  encamped  on  the  next  river,  one  con- 
sisting of  eighty  and  the  second  of  sixty  lodges,  at  some  dis- 
tance above.  After  treating  them  kindly,  they  sent  them 
back  with  a  present  of  two  carrots  of  tobacco  to  their  chiefs, 
whom  they  invited  to  a  conference  in  the  morning. 

September  &£.— At  an  island  a  few  miles  above  High- 
water  Creek  they  were  joined  by  one  of  their  hunters, 
who  [proceeds  the  narrative]  procured  four  elk  ;  but  while 
he  was  in  pursuit  of  the  game  the  Indians  had  stolen  his 
horse.     We  left  the  island,  and  soon  overtook  five  Indians 
on  the  shore ;  we  anchored,  and  told  them  from  the  boat 
we  were  friends,  and  wished  to  continue  so,  but  were  not 
afraid  of  any  Indians ;  that  some  of  their  young  men  had 
stolen  the  horse  which  their  great  father  had  sent  for  their 
great  chief,  and  that  we  could  not  treat  with  them  until  he 
was  restored.     They  said  they  knew  nothing  of  the  horse, 
but  if  he  had  been  taken  he  should  be  given  up.     We  went 
on,  and  at  thirteen  and  a  half  miles  we  anchored  one  hun- 
dred yards  off  the  mouth  of  a  river  on  the  south  side,  where 
we  were  joined  by  both  the  pirogues,  and  encamped  ;  two- 
thirds  of  the  party  remained  on  board,  and  the  rest  went 
as  a  guard  on  shore,  with  the  cooks  and  one  pirogue ;  we 
have  seen  along  the  sides  of  the  hills  on  the  north  a  great 
deal  of  stone ;  besides  the  elk,  we  also  observed  a  hare ;  the 


Lewis]         IN  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  SIOUX.  159 

five  Indians  whom  we  had  seen  followed  us,  and  slept  with 
the  guard  on  shore.  Finding  one  of  them  was  a  chief,  we 
smoked  with  him,  and  made  him  a  present  of  tobacco. 
This  river  is  about  seventy  yards  wide,  and  has  a  consider- 
able current.  As  the  tribe  of  the  Sioux  which  inhabit  it 
are  called  Tetons,  we  gave  it  the  name  of  Teton  River. 

[On  the  25th  they  met  a  party  of  Indians  who  threatened  violence, 
and  attempted  to  detain  them  by  force,  but  were  induced  to  desist  by 
a  threatening  attitude  on  the  part  of  the  whites.] 

September  26. — Our  conduct  yesterday  seemed  to  have 
inspired  the  Indians  with  fear  of  us  ;  and  as  we  were  de- 
sirous of  cultivating  their  acquaintance,  we  complied  with 
their  wish  that  we  should  give  them  an  opportunity  of 
treating  us  well,  and  also  suffer  their  squaws  and  children 
to  see  us  and  our  boat,  which  would  be  perfectly  new  to 
them.  Accordingly,  after  passing,  at  one  and  a  half  miles, 
a  small  willow  island  and  several  sand-bars,  we  came  to  on 
the  south  side,  where  a  crowd  of  men,  women,  and  children 
were  waiting  to  receive  us.  Captain  Lewis  went  on  shore, 
and  remained  several  hours  ;  and  observing  that  their  dis- 
position was  friendly,  we  resolved  to  remain  during  the 
night  to  a  dance,  which  they  were  preparing  for  us.  Cap- 
tains Lewis  and  Clarke,  who  went  on  shore  one  after  the 
other,  were  met  on  landing  by  ten  well-dressed  young  men, 
who  took  them  up  in  a  robe,  highly  decorated,  and  carried 
them  to  a  large  council-house,  where  they  were  placed  on  a 
dressed  buffalo-skin  by  the  side  of  the  grand  chief.  The 
hall,  or  council-room,  was  in  the  shape  of  three-quarters 
of  a  circle,  covered  at  the  top  and  sides  with  skins  well 
dressed  and  sewed  together.  Under  this  shelter  sat  about 
seventy  men,  forming  a  circle  round  the  chief,  before  whom 
were  placed  a  Spanish  flag  and  the  one  wo  had  given  them 
yesterday. 


160  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Lewis 

This  left  a  vacant  circle  of  about  six  feet  in  diameter,  in 
which  the  pipe  of  peace  was  raised  on  two  forked  sticks, 
about  six  or  eight  inches  from  the  ground,  and  under  it  the 
down  of  the  swan  was  scattered  ;  a  large  fire,  in  which 
they  were  cooking  provisions,  stood  near,  and  in  the  centre 
about  four  hundred  pounds  of  excellent  buffalo-meat,  as  a 

present  for  us. 

As  soon  as  we  were  seated  an  old  man  got  up,  and  after 
approving  what  we  had  done,  begged  us  to  take  pity  on 
their  unfortunate  situation.     To  this  we  replied  with  as- 
surances of  protection.      After  he  had  ceased,  the  great 
chief  rose  and  delivered  an  harangue  to  the  same  effect; 
then,  with  great  solemnity,  took  some  of  the  most  delicate 
parts  of  the  dog  which  was  cooked  for  the  festival,  and 
held  it  to  the  flag  by  way  of  sacrifice  ;  this  done,  he  held 
up  the  pipe  of  peace,  and  first  pointed  it   towards  the 
heavens,  then  to  the  four  quarters  of  the  globe,  and  then 
to  the  earth,  made  a  short  speech,  lighted  the  pipe,  and 
presented  it  to  us.     We  smoked,  and  he  again  harangued 
his  people,  after  which  the  repast  was  served  up  to  us.     It 
consisted  of  the  dog  which  they  had  just  been  cooking, 
this  being  a  great  dish  among  the  Sioux,  and  used  on  all 
festivals;  to  this  were  added  pemitigon,  a  dish  made  of 
buffalo-meat,  dried  or  jerked,  and  then  pounded  and  mixed 
raw  with  grease  and  a  kind  of  ground  potato,  dressed  like 
the  preparation  of  Indian  corn  called  hommony,  to  which 
it  is  little  inferior.    Of  all  these  luxuries  which  were  placed 
before  us  in  platters  with  horn  spoons,  we  took  the  pemiti- 
gon and  the  potato,  which  we  found  good,  but  we  could  as 
yet  partake  but  sparingly  of  the  dog. 

We  ate  and  smoked  for  an  hour,  when  it  became  dark; 
everything  was  then  cleared  away  for  the  dance,  a  large 
fire  being  made  in  the  centre  of  the  house,  giving  at  once 
li-rht  and  warmth  to  the  ball-room.    The  orchestra  was 


Lewis]         IN  THE   COUNTRY  OF  THE  SIOUX.  161 

composed  of  about  ten  men,  who  played  on  a  sort  of  tam- 
bourine, formed  of  skin  stretched  across  a  hoop,  and  made 
a  jingling  noise  with  a  long  stick  to  which  the  hoofs  of  deer 
and  goats  were  hung;  the  third  instrument  was  a  small 
skin  bag  with  pebbles  in  it;  these,  with  five  or  six  young 
men  for  the  vocal  part,  made  up  the  band.  The  women 
then  came  forward,  highly  decorated ;  some  with  poles  in 
their  hands,  on  which  were  hung  the  scalps  of  their  ene- 
mies ;  others  with  guns,  spears,  or  different  trophies  taken 
in  war  by  their  husbands,  brothers,  or  connections. 

Having  arranged  themselves  in  two  columns,  one  on  each 
side  of  the  fire,  as  soon  as  the  music  began  they  danced 
towards  each  other  till  they  met  in  the  centre,  when  the 
rattles  were  shaken,  and  they  all  shouted  and  returned 
back  to  their  places.  They  have  no  step,  but  shuffle  along 
the  ground;  nor  does  the  music  appear  to  be  anything 
more  than  a  confusion  of  noises,  distinguished  only  by 
hard  or  gentle  blows  upon  the  buffalo-skin  ;  the  song  is 
perfectly  extemporaneous.  In  the  pauses  of  the  dance 
some  man  of  the  company  comes  forward  and  recites,  in  a 
sort  of  low  guttural  tone,  some  little  story  or  incident, 
which  is  either  martial  or  ludicrous,  or,  as  was  the  case 
this  evening,  voluptuous  and  indecent ;  this  is  taken  up  by 
the  orchestra  and  the  dancers,  who  repeat  it  in  a  higher 
strain  and  dance  to  it.  Sometimes  they  alternate,  the 
orchestra  first  performing,  and  when  it  ceases  the  women 
raise  their  voices,  and  make  a  music  more  agreeable,  that 
is,  less  intolerable,  than  that  of  the  musicians. 

The  dances  of  the  men,  which  are  always  separate  from 
those  of  the  women,  are  conducted  very  nearly  in  the  same 
way,  except  that  the  men  jump  up  and  down  instead  of 
shuffling;  and  in  the  war-dances  the  recitations  are  all  of 
a  military  cast.  The  harmony  of  the  entertainment  had 
nearly  been  disturbed  by  one  of  the  musicians,  who,  think- 
i.—l  14* 


162  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Lewis 

ins  be  had  not  received  a  due  share  of  the  tobacco  we  had 
distributed  during  the  evening,  put  himself  into  a  passion, 
broke  one  of  the  drums,  threw  two  of  them  into  the  fare, 
and  left  the  band.   They  were  taken  out  of  the  fire ;  a  buftalo 
robe,  held  in  one  hand,  and  beaten  with  the  other  by  sev- 
eral of  the  company,  supplied  the  place  of  the  lost  drum  or 
tambourine,  and  no  notice  was  taken  of  the  offensive  con- 
duct of  the  man.     We  stayed  till  twelve  o'clock  at  night 
when  we  informed  the  chiefs  that  they  must  be  fatigued 
with  all  these  attempts  to  amuse  us,  and  retired,  accompa- 
nied  by  four  chiefs,  two  of  whom  spent  the  night  with 

us  on  board.  ...  

The  tribe  which  we  this  day  saw  are  a  part  of  the  great 
Sioux  nation,  and  are  known  by  the  name  of  the  Teton 
Okandandas :  they  are  about  two  hundred  men  in  number, 
and  their  chief  residence  is  on  both  sides  of  the  Missouri, 
between  the  Chayenne  and  Teton  Eivers.  In  their  persons 
they  are  rather  ugly  and  ill  made,  their  legs  and  arms 
being  'too  small,  their  cheek-bones  high,  and  their  eyes 
projecting.  The  females,  with  the  same  character  of 
form  are  more  handsome ;  and  both  sexes  appear  cheerful 
and  sprightly ;  but  in  our  intercourse  with  them  we  dis- 
covered that  they  were  cunning  and  vicious.  ... 

Their  lodges  are  very  neatly  constructed,  in  the  same 
form  as  those  of  the  Yanktons :  they  consist  of  about  one 
hundred  cabins  (made  of  white  buffalo  dressed  h.de),  with 
a  larger  one  in  the  centre  for  holding  councils  and  dances. 
They  are  built  round  with  poles,  about  fifteen  or  twenty 
feet  high,  covered  with  white  skins.  These  lodges  maybe 
taken  to  pieces,  packed  up,  and  carried  with  the  nation 
wherever  they  go,  by  dogs  which  bear  great  burdens. 
The  women  are  chiefly  employed  in  dressing  buffalo-skins ; 
they  seem  perfectly  well  disposed,  but  are  addicted  to 
stealing  anything  which  they  can  take  without  being  ob- 


Lewis]         IN  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  SIOUX.  163 

served.  This  nation,  although  it  makes  so  many  ravages 
among  its  neighbors,  is  badly  supplied  with  guns.  The 
water  which  they  carry  with  them  is  contained  chiefly  in 
the  paunches  of  deer  and  other  animals,  and  the}T  make 
use  of  wooden  bowls.  Some  had  their  heads  shaved, 
which  we  found  was  a  species  of  mourning  for  their 
relations.  Another  usage  on  these  occasions  is  to  run 
arrows  through  the  flesh,  both  above  and  below  the  elbow. 
While  on  shore  to-day  we  witnessed  a  quarrel  between 
two  squaws,  which  appeared  to  be  growing  every  moment 
more  boisterous,  when  a  man  came  forward,  at  whose 
approach  every  one  seemed  terrified  and  ran.  He  took  the 
squaws,  and  without  any  ceremony  whipped  them  severely. 
On  inquiring  into  the  nature  of  such  summary  justice, 
we  learned  that  this  man  was  an  officer  well  known  to  this 
and  many  other  tribes.  His  duty  is  to  keep  the  peace ; 
and  the  whole  interior  police  of  the  village  is  confided  to 
two  or  three  of  these  officers,  who  are  named  by  the  chief, 
and  remain  in  power  some  days,  at  least  till  the  chief 
appoints  a  successor:  they  seem  to  be  a  sort  of  constable 
or  sentinel,  since  they  are  always  on  the  watch  to  keep 
tranquillity  during  the  day,  and  guarding  the  camp  in 
the  night.  The  short  duration  of  their  office  is  compen- 
sated by  its  authority.  Their  power  is  supreme,  and  in  the 
suppression  of  any  riot  or  disturbance  no  resistance  to 
them  is  suffered ;  their  persons  are  sacred ;  and  if,  in  the 
execution  of  their  duty,  they  strike  even  a  chief  of  the 
second  class,  they  cannot  be  punished  for  this  sal ut cry 
insolence. 


16i  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Clarkb 


THE  GREAT  FALLS  OF  THE  MISSOURI. 

WILLIAM   CLARKE. 

TThe  journal  of  Lewis  and  Clarke,  descriptive  of  their  observations 
in  the  western  United  States,  during  their  journey  across  the  plain, 
and  mountains  to  the  Pacific,  are  full  of  interesting  incident  They 
were  the  first  intelligent  travellers  through  that  vast  region  and  the 
IZ  of  their  journe^  must  always  possess  a  high  value  for  tins  reason, 
the  aborigines  and  the  animal  life  of  that  country  being  as  yet  undis- 

u  bed  oy  the  presence  of  the  whites.  They  had  now  reached  the  upper 
Missouri  and  were  within  view  of  the  Eocky  Mountains.     We  quote 

from  McVickar's  abridgment  of  their  journal.] 

On  the  north  we  passed  a  precipice  about  one  hundred 
and  twenty  feet  high,  under  which  lay  scattered  the  remains 
of  at  least  one  hundred  carcasses  of  buffaloes,  although  the 
water,  which  had  washed  away  the  lower  part  of  the  hill, 
must  have  carried  off  many  of  the  dead. 

These  buffaloes  had  been  chased  down  the  precipice  in  a 
way  very  common  on  the  Missouri,  and  by  which  vast  herds 
are  destroyed  in  a  moment.     The  mode  of  hunting  is  to 
select  one  of  the  most  active  and  fleet  young  men,  who  is 
disguised  by  a  buffalo-skin  round  his  body ;  the  skin  of  the 
head,  with  the  ears  and  horns,  being  fastened  on  his  own 
in  such  a  way  as  to  deceive  the  animal.     Thus  dressed  he 
fixes  himself  at  a  convenient  distance  between  a  herd  ot 
buffaloes  and  any  of  the  river  precipices,  which  sometimes 
extend  for  miles.    His  companions  in  the  mean  time  get  in 
the  rear  and  on  the  sides  of  the  herd,  and  at  a  given 
signal  show  themselves  and  advance  towards  them,     lhe 
buffaloes  instantly  take  the  alarm,  and,  Ending  the  hunters 
beside  them,  they  run  towards  the  disguised   Indian  or 
decoy,  who  leads  them  on  at  full  speed  towards  the  river, 


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Clarke]     THE   GREAT  FALLS  OF  THE  MISSOURI.       165 

when,  suddenly  securing  himself  in  some  crevice  of  the 
cliff  which  he  had  previously  fixed  on,  the  herd  is  left  on 
the  brink  of  the  precipice.  It  is  then  impossible  for  the 
foremost  to  retreat,  or  even  to  stop ;  they  are  pressed  on 
by  the  hindmost  rank,  which,  seeing  no  danger  but  from 
the  hunters,  goad  on  those  before  them,  till  the  whole  are 
precipitated  over  the  cliff,  and  the  shore  is  strewed  with 
their  dead  bodies. 

Sometimes,  in  this  perilous  seduction,  the  Indian  himself 
is  either  trodden  underfoot  by  the  rapid  movements  of 
the  buffaloes,  or,  missing  his  footing  in  the  cliff,  is  urged 
down  the  precipice  by  the  falling  herd.  The  Indians  then 
select  as  much  meat  as  they  wish,  and  the  rest  is  abandoned 
to  the  wolves,  and  create  a  most  dreadful  stench.  The 
wolves  which  had  been  feasting  on  these  carcasses  were 
very  fat,  and  so  gentle  that  one  of  them  was  killed  with  a 
spontoon. 

[They  were  now  on  the  foot-hills  of  the  mountains,  in  the  country 
of  the  Minnetarees.  Their  journey  met  with  obstructions  from  pre- 
cipitous cliffs.] 

These  hills  and  river  cliffs  exhibit  a  most  extraordinary 
and  romantic  appearance.  They  rise  in  most  places  nearly 
perpendicular  from  the  river  to  the  height  of  between  two 
and  three  hundred  feet,  and  are  formed  of  very  white 
sandstone,  so  soft  as  to  yield  readily  to  the  action  of  water, 
but  in  the  upper  part  of  which  lie  embedded  two  or  three 
thin  horizontal  strata  of  white  freestone  unaffected  by  the 
rain ;  and  on  the  top  is  a  dark  rich  loam,  which  forms  a 
gradually  ascending  plain,  from  a  mile  to  a  mile  and  a  half 
in  extent,  when  the  hills  again  rise  abruptly  to  the  height 
of  about  three  hundred  feet  more.  In  trickling  down  the 
cliffs  the  water  has  worn  the  soft  sandstone  into  a  thousand 
grotesque  figures,  among  which,  with  a  little  fancy,  may 


166  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Clarke 

be  discerned  elegant  ranges  of  freestone  buildings,  with 
columns  variously  sculptured,  and  supporting   long  and 
elegant   galleries,  while   the   parapets   are   adorned  with 
statuary.     On  a  nearer   approach    they  represent   every 
form  of  elegant  ruins,  columns,  some  with  pedestals  and 
capitals  entire,  others  mutilated  and  prostrate,  and  some 
rising  pyramidally  over  each  other  till  they  terminate  in  a 
sharp  point.     These  are  varied  by  niches,  alcoves,  and  the 
customary  appearances  of  desolated  magnificence.     The 
delusion  is  increased  by  the  number  of  martins  which  have 
built  their  globular  nest  in  the  niches,  and  hover  over  these 
columns  as  in  our  country  they  are  accustomed  to  frequent 
large  stone  structures. 

As  we  advance  there  seems  no  end  to  the  visionary  en- 
chantment that  surrounds  us.     In  the  midst  of  this  fan- 
tastic  scenery  are  vast  ranges  of  walls,  which  seem  the 
productions  of  art,  so  regular  is  the  workmanship.     They 
rise  perpendicularly   from    the    river,   sometimes   to  the 
height  of  one  hundred  feet,  varying  in  thickness  from  one 
to  twelve  feet,  being  equally  broad  at  the  top  as  below 
The  stones  of  which  they  are  formed  are  black,  thick,  and 
durable,  composed  of  a  large  portion  of  earth,  intermixed 
and  cemented  with  a  small  quantity  of  sand,  and  a  consid- 
erable  proportion  of  talc  or  quartz.      These   stones  are 
almost  invariably  parallelepipeds  of  unequal  sizes  in  the 
wall,  but  equally  deep,  and  laid  regularly  in  ranges  over 
each  other  like  bricks,  each  breaking  and  covering  the  in- 
terstice of  the  two  on  which  it  rests.     But,  though  the 
perpendicular  interstice  be  destroyed,  the  horizontal  one 
extends  entirely  through  the  whole  work.    The  stones  too 
are  proportioned  to  the  thickness  of  the  wall  m  which 
they  are  employed,  being  largest  in  the  thickest  walls.  The 
thinner  walls  are  composed  of  a  single  depth  of  the  paral- 
lelepiped, while  the  thicker  ones  consist  of  two  or  more 


Clarke]     THE   GREAT  FALLS  OF  THE  MISSOURI.       167 

depths.  These  walls  pass  the  river  at  several  places,  rising 
from  the  water's  edge  much  above  the  sandstone  bluffs, 
which  they  seem  to  penetrate ;  thence  they  cross  in  a 
straight  line,  on  either  side  of  the  river,  the  plains,  over 
which  they  tower  to  the  height  of  from  ten  to  seventy 
feet,  until  they  lose  themselves  in  the  second  range  of 
hills.  Sometimes  tbey  run  parallel  in  several  ranges  near 
to  each  other,  sometimes  intersect  each  other  at  right 
angles,  and  have  the  appearance  of  walls  of  ancient  houses 
or  gardens. 

[After  advancing  some  distance  farther,  the  proper  course  to  pursue 
hecame  doubtful,  and  Captains  Lewis  and  Clarke  set  out  in  different 
directions  with  exploring  parties.  Lewis's  journey  proved  an  adven- 
turous one.] 

In  passing  along  the  side  of  a  bluff  at  a  narrow  pass, 
thirty  }^ards  in  length,  Captain  Lewis  slipped,  and,  but  for 
a  fortunate  recovery  by  means  of  his  spontoon,  would  have 
been  precipitated  into  the  river  over  a  precipice  of  about 
ninety  feet.  He  had  just  reached  a  spot  where,  by  the 
assistance  of  his  spontoon,  he  could  stand  with  tolerable 
safety,  when  he  heard  a  voice  behind  him  cry  out,  "Good 
God,  captain,  what  shall  I  do?"  He  turned  instantly,  and 
found  it  was  Windsor,  who  had  lost  his  foothold  about  the 
middle  of  the  narrow  pass,  and  had  slipped  down  to  the 
very  verge  of  the  precipice,  where  he  lay  on  his  belly, 
with  his  right  arm  and  leg  over  it,  while  with  the  other 
leg  and  arm  he  was  with  difficulty  holding  on,  to  keep  him- 
self from  being  dashed  to  pieces  below. 

His  dreadful  situation  was  instantly  perceived  by  Cap- 
tain Lewis,  who,  stifling  his  alarm,  calmly  told  him  that 
he  was  in  no  danger;  that  he  should  take  his  knife  out 
of  his  belt  with  the  right  hand,  and  dig  a  hole  in  the  side 
of  the  bluff  to  receive  his  right  foot.     With  great  presence 


168  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Clarke 

of  mind  he  did  this,  and  then  raised  himself  on  his  knees. 
Captain  Lewis  then  told  him  to  take  off  his  moccasins,  and 
come  forward  on  his  hands  and  knees,  holding  the  knife 
in  one  hand  and  his  rifle  in  the  other.  He  immediately 
crawled  in  this  way  till  he  came  to  a  secure  spot.  The 
men  who  had  not  attempted  this  passage  were  ordered  to 
return,  and  wade  the  river  at  the  foot  of  the  bluff,  where 
they  found  the  water  breast-high. 

This  adventure  taught  them  the  danger  of  crossing  the 
slippery  heights  of  the  river;  but,  as  the  plains  were  inter- 
sected by  deep  ravines  almost  as  difficult  to  pass,  they  con- 
tinued down  the  stream,  sometimes  in  the  mud  of  the  low 
grounds,  sometimes  up  to  their  arms  in  water,  and,  when 
it  became  too  deep  to  wade,  they  cut  footholds  with  their 
knives  in  the  sides  of  the  banks.  In  this  way  they  trav- 
elled through  the  rain,  mud,  and  water,  and,  having  made 
only  eighteen  miles  during  the  whole  day,  encamped  in  an 
old  Indian  lodge  of  sticks,  which  afforded  them  a  dry  shelter. 
Here  they  cooked  part  of  six  deer  they  had  killed  in  the 
course  of  the  route,  and,  having  eaten  the  only  morsel  they 
had  tasted  during  the  whole  day,  slept  comfortably  on 
some  willow-boughs. 

[A  few  days  afterwards,  Captain  Lewis  reached  the  Falls  of  the 
Missouri,  which  he  eloquently  describes.] 

To  the  southwest  [says  the  journalist]  there  arose  from 
this  plain  two  mountains  of  a  singular  appearance,  and 
more  like  ramparts  of  high  fortifications  than  works  of 
nature.  They  are  square  figures,  with  sides  rising  per- 
pendicularly to  the  height  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet, 
formed  of  yellow  clay,  and  the  tops  seemed  to  be  level 
plains.  Finding  that  the  river  here  bore  considerably  to 
the  south,  and  fearful  of  passing  the  falls  before  reaching 
the  Eocky  Mountains,  they  now  changed  their  course  to 


Clakke]     THE   GREAT  FALLS  OF  THE  MISSOURI.       169 

the  south,  and,  leaving  those  insulated  hills  to  the  right, 
proceeded  across  the  plain. 

In  this  direction  Captain  Lewis  had  gone  about  two 
miles,  when  his  ears  were  saluted  with  the  agreeable 
sound  of  a  fall  of  water;  and,  as  he  advanced,  a  spray, 
which  seemed  driven  by  the  southwest  wind,  arose  above 
the  plain  like  a  column  of  smoke,  and  vanished  in  an  in- 
stant. Towards  this  point  he  directed  his  steps,  and  the 
noise,  increasing  as  he  approached,  soon  became  too  tre- 
mendous to  be  mistaken  for  anything  but  the  Great  Falls 
of  the  Missouri. 

Having  travelled  seven  miles  after  first  hearing  the 
sound,  he  reached  the  Falls  about  twelve  o'clock.  The 
hills,  as  he  approached,  were  difficult  of  access,  and  two 
hundred  feet  high;  down  these  he  hurried  with  impatience, 
and,  seating  himself  on  some  rocks  under  the  centre  of 
the  Falls,  enjoyed  the  sublime  spectacle  of  this  stupendous 
object,  which  since  the  creation  had  been  lavishing  its 
magnificence  upon  the  desert,  unknown  to  civilization. 

The  river,  immediately  at  its  cascade,  is  three  hundred 
yards  wide,  and  is  pressed  by  a  perpendicular  cliff  on  the 
left,  which  rises  to  about  one  hundred  feet,  and  extends  up 
the  stream  for  a  mile ;  on  the  right  the  bluff  is  also  perpen- 
dicular for  three  hundred  yards  above  the  fall.  For  ninety 
or  a  hundred  feet  from  the  left  cliff  the  water  falls  in  one 
smooth,  even  sheet  over  a  precipice  of  at  least  eighty  feet. 
The  remaining  part  of  the  river  precipitates  itself  with  a 
more  rapid  current,  and,  being  received  as  it  falls  by  the 
irregular  and  somewhat  projecting  rocks  below,  forms  a 
splendid  spectacle  of  perfectly  white  foam,  two  hundred 
yards  in  length  and  eighty  in  perpendicular  elevation. 
This  spray  is  dissipated  into  a  thousand  shapes,  sometimes 
flying  up  in  columns  of  fifteen  or  twenty  feet,  which  are 
then  oppressed  by  larger  masses  of  the  white  foam,  on  all 

H  15 


17()  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Clarkb 

which  the  sun  impresses  the  brightest  colors  of  the  rain- 
bow. 

Below  the  fall  the  water  beats  with  fury  against  a 
leo>e  of  rocks,  which  extends  across  the  river  at  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  yards  from  the  precipice.  From  the.  per- 
pendicular cliff  on  the  north  to  the  distance  of  one  hundred 
and  twenty  yards  the  rocks  are  only  a  few  feet  above  the 
water,  and,  when  the  river  is  high,  the  stream  finds  a 
channel  across  them  forty  yards  wide,  and  near  the  higher 
parts  of  the  ledge,  which  rise  about  twenty  feet,  and  ter- 
minate abruptly  within  eighty  or  ninety  yards  of  the 
southern  side.  Between  them  and  the  perpendicular  cliff 
on  the  south  the  whole  body  of  water  runs  with  great 

swiftness. 

A  few  small  cedars  grow  near  this  ridge  of  rocks,  which 
serves  as  a  barrier  to  defend  a  small  plain  of  about  three 
acres,  shaded  with  cottonwood;  at  the  lower  extremity  of 
which  is  a  grove  of  the  same  trees,  where  are  several 
Indian  cabins  of  sticks;  below  which  the  river  is  divided 
by  a  large  rock,  several  feet  above  the  surface  of  the  water, 
and  extending  down  the  stream  for  twenty  yards.     At  the 
distance  of  three  hundred  yards  from  the  same  ridge  is  a 
second  abutment  of  solid  perpendicular  rock,  about  sixty 
feet  high,  projecting  at  right  angles  from  the  small  plain 
on  the  north  for  one  hundred  and  thirty-four  yards  into 
the  river.     After  leaving  this  the  Missouri  again  spreads 
itself  to  its  previous  breadth   of  three   hundred  yards, 
though  with  more  than  its  ordinary  rapidity.  .  .  . 

June  U-— This  morning  one  of  the  men  was  sent  to  Cap- 
tain Clarke  with  an  account  of  the  discovery  of  the  Falls ; 
and  after  employing  the  rest  in  preserving  the  meat  which 
bad' been  killed  yesterday,  Captain  Lewis  proceeded  to  ex- 
amine the  rapids  above.  From  the  Falls  he  directed  his 
course  southwest  up  the  river.     After  passing  one  con- 


Clarke]     THE  GREAT  FALLS   OF   THE  MISSOURI.       171 

tinued  rapid  and  three  cascades,  each  three  or  four  feet 
high,  he  reached,  at  a  distance  of  five  miles,  a  second  fall. 
The  river  is  here  about  four  hundred  yards  wide,  and  for 
the  distance  of  three  hundred  rushes  down  to  the  depth 
of  nineteen  feet,  and  so  irregularly  that  he  gave  it  the 
name  of  the  Crooked  Falls.  From  the  southern  shore  it  ex- 
tends obliquely  upward  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  yards, 
and  then  forms  an  acute  angle  downward  nearly  to  the 
commencement  of  four  small  islands  close  to  the  northern 
side.  From  the  perpendicular  pitch  to  these  islands,  a  dis- 
tance of  more  than  one  hundred  yards,  the  water  glides 
down  a  sloping  rock  with  a  velocity  almost  equal  to  that 
of  its  fall ;  above  this  fall  the  river  bends  suddenly  to  the 
northward. 

"While  viewing  this  place,  Captain  Lewis  heard  a  loud 
roar  above  him,  and,  crossing  the  point  of  a  hill  a  few 
hundred  yards,  he  saw  one  of  the  most  beautiful  objects  in 
nature :  the  whole  Missouri  is  suddenly  stopped  by  one 
shelving  rock,  which,  without  a  single  niche,  and  with  an 
edge  as  straight  and  regular  as  if  formed  by  art,  stretches 
itself  from  one  side  of  the  river  to  the  other  for  at  least  a 
quarter  of  a  mile.  Over  this  it  precipitates  itself  in  an 
even,  uninterrupted  sheet,  to  the  perpendicular  depth  of 
fifty  feet,  whence,  dashing  against  the  rocky  bottom,  it 
rushes  rapidly  down,  leaving  behind  it  a  sheet  of  purest 
foam  across  the  river.  The  scene  which  it  presented  was 
indeed  singularly  beautiful ;  since,  without  any  of  the  wild, 
irregular  sublimity  of  the  lower  falls,  it  combined  all  the 
regular  elegancies  which  the  fancy  of  a  painter  would 
select  to  form  a  beautiful  wraterfall. 

The  eye  had  scarcely  been  regaled  with  this  charming 
prospect,  when,  at  the  distance  of  half  a  mile,  Captain 
Lewis  observed  another  of  a  similar  kind.  To  this  he  im- 
mediately hastened,  and  found  a  cascade  stretching  across 


172  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Clarke 

the  whole  river  for  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  with  a  descent  of 
fourteen  feet,  though  the  perpendicular  pitch  was  only  six 
feet.     This,  too,  in  any  other  neighborhood,  would  have 
been  an  object  of  great  magnificence ;  but  after  what  he 
had  just  seen,  it  became  of  secondary  interest ;  his  curi- 
osity being,  however,  awakened,  he  determined  to  go  on, 
even  should  night  overtake  him,  to  the  head  of  the  falls. 
He  therefore  pursued  the  southwest  course  of  the  river, 
which  was  one  constant  succession  of  rapids  and  small  cas- 
cades, at  every  one  of  which  the  bluffs  grew  lower,  or  the 
bed  of  the  river  became  more  on  a  level  with  the  plains. 
At  the  distance  of  two  and  a  half  miles  he  arrived  at 
another  cataract  of  twenty-six  feet.     The  river  is  here  six 
hundred  yards  wide,  but  the  descent  is  not  immediately 
perpendicular,  though  the  river  falls  generally  in  a  regular 
and  smooth  sheet ;  for  about  one-third  of  the  descent  a  rock 
protrudes  to  a  small  distance,  receives  the  water  in  its  pas- 
sage, and  gives  it  a  curve. 

On  the  south  side  is  a  beautiful  plain,  a  few  feet  above 
the  level  of  the  falls ;  on  the  north  the  country  is  more 
broken,  and  there  is  a  hill  not  far  from  the  river.    Just 
below  the  falls  is  a  little  island  in  the  middle  of  the  river 
well  covered  with  timber.     Here,  on  a  cottonwood-tree,  an 
eagle  had  fixed  her  nest,  and  seemed  the  undisputed  mis- 
tress  of  a  spot  to  contest  whose  dominion  neither  man  nor 
beast  would  venture  across  the  gulfs  that  surround  it,  and 
which  is  further  secured  by  the  mist  rising  from  the  Falls. 
This  solitary  bird  could  not  escape  the  observation  of  the 
Indians,  who  made  the  eagle's  nest  a  part  of  their  descrip- 
tion of  the  Falls,  and  which  now  proves  to  be  correct  in 
almost  every  particular,  except  that  they  did  not  do  justice 
to  their  height.    Just  above  this  is  a  cascade  of  about  five 
feet,  beyond  which,  as  far  as  could  be  discerned,  the  velocity 
of  the  water  seemed  to  abate. 


Clarke]     THE   GREAT  FALLS   OF  THE  MISSOURI.       173 

Captain  Lewis  now  ascended  the  hill  which  was  behind 
him,  and  saw  from  its  top  a  delightful  plain,  extending 
from  the  river  to  the  base  of  the  Snowy  Mountains  to  the 
south  and  southwest.  Along  this  wide,  level  country  the 
Missouri  pursued  its  winding  course,  filled  with  water  to 
its  smooth,  grassy  banks,  while  about  four  miles  above  it 
was  joined  by  a  large  river  flowing  from  the  northwest, 
through  a  valley  three  miles  in  width,  and  distinguished  by 
the  timber  which  adorned  its  shores.  The  Missouri  itself 
stretches  to  the  south  in  one  unruffled  stream  of  water, 
as  if  unconscious  of  the  roughness  it  must  soon  encounter, 
and  bearing  on  its  bosom  vast  flocks  of  geese,  while  numer- 
ous herds  of  buffaloes  are  feeding  on  the  plains  which  sur- 
round it. 

Captain  Lewis  then  descended  the  hill,  and  directed  his 
course  towards  the  river,  falling  in  from  the  west.  He 
soon  met  a  herd  of  at  least  a  thousand  buffaloes,  and,  being 
desirous  of  providing  for  supper,  shot  one  of  them.  The 
animal  immediately  began  to  bleed,  and  Captain  Lewis, 
who  had  forgotten  to  reload  his  rifle,  was  intently  watch- 
ing to  see  him  fall,  when  he  beheld  a  large  brown  bear 
which  was  stealing  on  him  unperceived,  and  was  already 
within  twenty  steps.  In  the  first  moment  of  surprise  he 
lifted  his  rifle,  but  remembering  instantly  that  it  was  not 
charged,  and  that  he  had  no  time  to  reload,  he  felt  there 
was  no  safety  but  in  flight.  It  was  in  the  open,  level 
plain  ;  not  a  bush  nor  a  tree  within  three  hundred  yards, 
the  bank  of  the  river  sloping,  and  not  more  than  three 
feet  high,  so  that  there  was  no  possible  mode  of  conceal- 
ment. 

Captain  Lewis  therefore  thought  of  retreating  with  a 
quick  walk,  as  fast  as  the  bear  advanced,  towards  the  near- 
est tree ;  but  as  soon  as  he  turned,  the  bear  rushed  open- 
mouthed  and  at  full  speed  upon  him.     Captain  Lewis  ran 

15* 


174  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Watson 

about  eighty  yards,  but  finding  that  the  animal  gained  on 
him  fast,  it  flashed  on  his  mind  that  by  getting  into  the 
water  to  such  a  depth  that  the  bear  would  be  obliged  to 
attack  him  swimming,  there  was  still  some  chance  for 
his  life ;  he  therefore  turned  short,  plunged  into  the  river 
about  waist-deep,  and,  facing  about,  presented  the  point  of 
his  spontoon.  The  bear  arrived  at  the  water's  edge  within 
twenty  feet  of  him  ;  but  as  soon  as  he  put  himself  in  this 
posture  of  defence  he  seemed  frightened,  and,  wheeling 
about,  retreated  with  as  much  precipitation  as  he  had  ad- 
vanced. 

Very  glad  to  be  released  from  his  danger,  Captain  Lewis 
returned  to  the  shore,  and  observed  him  run  with  great 
speed,  sometimes  looking  back,  as  if  he  expected  to  be  pur- 
sued, till  he  reached  the  woods.  He  could  not  conceive 
the  cause  of  the  sudden  alarm  of  the  bear,  but  congratu- 
lated himself  on  his  escape,  when  he  saw  his  own  track 
torn  to  pieces  by  the  furious  animal ;  and  he  learned  from 
the  whole  adventure  never  to  suffer  his  rifle  to  be  for  a 
moment  unloaded. 


HUNTING  SCENES  IN  THE  CANADIAN  WOODS. 

B.   A.  WATSON. 

[As  the  literature  of  travel  necessarily  includes  the  deeds  of  the 
hunter  in  the  haunts  of  wild  animals,  we  have  included  among  our 
selections  a  number  of  hunting  scenes  in  different  countries.  The 
following  incidents  from  a  hunter's  experience  are  from  a  popular 
work  of  sporting  life,  Watson's  "  The  Sportsman's  Paradise,  or  the 
Lake  Land  of  Canada. "  The  following  is  an  exciting  story  of  a  deer- 
hunt  on  a  Canadian  lake  ] 

The  forenoon  of  the  next  day,  October  7,  was  spent  in 
trout-fishing,  grouse-shooting,  and  exploring  the  surround- 


Watson]  HUNTING  SCENES  IN  CANADIAN  WOODS.      175 

ing  country.  The  captain  conducted  me  about  half  a  milo 
up  the  side  of  a  steep  hill,  which  had  its  base  on  Long 
Lake,  to  another  lake  situated  at  the  top  of  this  hill  or 
mountain.  While  I  recognize  the  fact  that  all  mountain 
lakes  occupy  different  planes  or  levels,  some  higher  and 
some  lower,  still  it  seemed  very  unusual  to  climb  the  face 
of  a  steep  hill,  commencing  at  one  lake,  and  find  another 
just  where  you  had  expected  to  reach  the  hill-top.  This 
lake  was  nearly  round,  and  probably  somewhat  less  than 
one-half  mile  in  diameter.  We  saw  during  our  morning 
peregrinations  many  old  moose-tracks,  and  also  many  spots 
in  the  woods  where  these  animals  had  browsed ;  while  a 
few  of  these  moose  indications  were  certainly  of  recent 
origin. 

The  captain  thought  it  wise  to  tarry  in  our  present  camp 
several  days,  to  kill  deer  and  dry  the  venison,  in  order  that 
we  might  have  a  supply  of  meat  while  engaged  in  moose- 
hunting,  independent  of  that  which  we  might  be  able  to 
kill  during  this  period. 

We  had  unanimously  agreed  that  it  was  inexpedient  to 
take  dogs  with  us  on  the  moose-chase.  In  this  particular 
our  experience  fully  confirmed  the  wisdom  of  our  con- 
clusion. The  moose  cannot  be  driven  to  water  by  deer- 
hounds,  or  any  other  species  of  dog  with  which  I  am 
familiar;  and,  therefore,  had  we  taken  these  animals  with 
us,  they  could  only  have  served  to  announce  our  presence 
to  the  game  which  we  sought,  without  being  able  to  render 
any  assistance.  These  facts  will  become  more  apparent  to 
the  reader  when  he  has  read  other  portions  of  this  book, 
where  the  story  of  the  moose- hunt  has  been  told  from 
beginning  to  end.  We  are  now  entering  on  Nature's 
grandest  preserve, — we  find  here  the  "  King  of  the  Canadian 
Forest,"  alias  moose,  deer,  beaver,  black  bear,  black  wolf, 
speckled  and  lake  trout,  duck,  ruffled  grouse,  etc.     Here  is 


176  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Watson 

abundance  of  sport  for  the  true  sportsman.    During  the 
morning  stroll  we  saw  several  beaver-houses  which  were 
occupied,  and  examined  a  large  amount  of  their  fresh  work 
These  sights  were  highly  interesting  to  me,  but  inasmuch 
as  they  have  been  so  frequently  described  by  others  I  shall 

omit  them  here. 

It  was  already  after  twelve  o'clock  when  we  reached  our 
camp      The  guides  prepared  our  dinner,  which  was  speedily 
partaken  of,  and  then  we  got  off  on  a  deer-hunt.     The 
captain  started  into  the  woods  with  the  dogs.     George  Boss 
and  I  entered  a  canoe,  the  former  paddling  across  the  lake 
to  a  point  that  commanded  a  view  of  a  large  portion  of 
this  water.      We   then   stepped   on  dry  land    and   there 
patiently  awaited  the  coming  developments.     We  carefully 
scanned  every  visible  portion  of  the  lake.     An  hour  passed 
and  still  we  were  watching ;  soon  a  grand  splash  was  heard 
near  the  shore  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  lake ;  the  gu.de 
caught  sight  of  the  water  which  was  thrown  high  into  the 
air,  but  the  head  of  the  deer  was  scarcely  visible  to  him 
while  the  animal  was  swimming  towards  us.     The  deer, 
which  at  first  swam  directly  towards  us,  soon  changed  his 
course,  and  headed  towards  the  foot  of  the  lake.     This 
change  brought  him  plainly  into  view.     A  few  minutes 
later  the  dog  was  seen  running  from  the  woods  where  the 
deer  broke  cover.     The  head  and  antlers  of  our  game  were 
visible  above  the  waters  of  the  lake,  while  he  was  swimming 
majestically  without  fear  or  even  anxiety.   We  stood  nearly 
half  an  hour  watching  the  movements  of  this  deer,  since 
we  could  not  safely  move  lest  we  should  be  discovered  by 
the  game  and  give  him  an  opportunity  to  return  to  his 

forest  home.  , 

The  reader  should  remember  that  this  animal  took  to  the 
water  from  the  shore  nearly  opposite  to  the  point  on  which 
we  were  standing,  that  the  deer  swam  almost  directly 


Watson]  HUNTING  SCENES  IN  CANADIAN  WOODS.      177 

towards  us  until  he  reached  the  middle  of  the  stream,  then 
turned  downward,  which  gave  us,  in  due  time,  an  opportu- 
nity to  come  in  unperceived  behind  him.  Patiently  we 
awaited  this  opportune  moment.  When  it  arrived  the 
canoe,  which  had  been  drawn  up  on  the  shore  near  us,  was 
quietly  shoved  out  upon  the  water.  Ross  gently  stepped 
to  the  stern  with  his  paddle  in  hand,  steadied  our  little 
bark  while  I  entered  its  bow,  where  I  seated  myself  and 
placed  my  rifle  by  my  right  side.  Ross  carefully  pushed 
the  little  craft  from  its  moorings,  placed  himself  on  his  knees 
in  that  part  of  the  canoe  which  properly  trimmed  it,  and 
silently  plied  his  paddle. 

The  little  canoe  moved  noiselessly  but  rapidly  forward, 
every  stroke  of  the  paddle  bringing  us  nearer  to  the  game. 
There  was  another  paddle  lying  near  my  hand ;  I  seized  it 
and  gave  a  helping  hand,  greatly  increasing  the  speed. 
Forward,  forward  we  went!  We  were  unperceived,  al- 
though within  ten  rods  of  a  beautiful  buck,  which  was 
swimming  in  the  middle  of  the  lake  directly  before  us. 
My  paddle  was  changed  for  my  rifle.  Nearer,  still  nearer 
we  approached.  The  rifle  was  raised  ;  the  bead  was  drawn, 
just  below  the  base  of  the  animal's  skull.  We  were  six 
rods  distant  from  the  deer.  A  little  puff  of  white  smoke 
covered  the  bow  of  our  boat ;  the  crack  of  the  rifle  was 
heard,  and  the  lifeless  body  of  the  deer  floated  on  the 
water,  which  was  slightly  tinged  with  blood. 

Thus  ended  this  chase.  The  carcass  was  towed  to  shore 
in  front  of  our  camp,  and  the  captain  met  us  there,  hav- 
ing returned  from  the  woods,  where  he  had  gone  to  start 
the  dogs.  The  dog  which  followed  the  buck  I  had  just 
shot  was  also  now  in  our  camp,  but  the  other  was  still 
absent. 

Nearly  two  hours  had  elapsed  since  the  buck  was  shot. 
There  were  now  on  the  shore,  in  front  of  our  camp,  the  cap- 
i. — m 


178  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Watson 

tain,  George  Boss,  and  myself,  while  Mildenberger  had  gone 
back  into  the  forest  in  search  of  ruffled  grouse.  Suddenly 
the  captain  sprang  from  the  rock  on  which  he  had  been 
seated,  placed  his  right  hand  on  his  forehead  in  such  a 
position  as  to  shade  his  eyes,  while  he  leaned  slightly  for- 
ward and  gazed  steadily  out  over  the  surface  of  the  lake  a 
few  seconds  without  uttering  a  single  word.  This  position 
was  one  I  had  frequently  seen  him  assume.  I  therefore 
recognized  the  fact  that  he  had  sighted  game,  or  was  at 
least  swayed  by  this  thought,  and  now  endeavored  to  solve 
the  question. 

Thus  he  had  stood  for  a  few  seconds,  when  he  simply  ex- 
claimed, "  A  deer  in  the  lake  /"  and  instantly  sprang  forward 
to  the  canoe.  I  had  followed  him  closely  with  rifle  in 
hand,  expecting  to  make  the  chase  with  him ;  he  quickly 
pushed  the  frail  bark  into  the  water  and  hastily  said, 
"  Doctor,  let  George  go  with  me  in  the  canoe ;  it  will  be  a 
hard  chase ;  we  will  drive  the  deer  to  you." 

A  few  seconds  later  the  canoe  was  in  the  water,  the  cap- 
tain in  the  bow,  and  George  Ross  in  the  stern,  each  on  their 
knees  with  a  paddle  in  their  hands.  The  little  birch  bark 
was  rushing  rapidly  forward,  propelled  by  the  power  of 
four  strong  muscular  arms.  The  sight  is  a  grand  one,  and 
called  to  mind  the  impetuous  charge  of  a  squadron  of  cav- 
alry in  war  times.  The  captain  is  most  determined  and 
energetic  when  in  the  pursuit  of  game ;  like  the  grandest 
charger  in  the  squadron,  he  is  bound  to  take  the  lead,  while 
the  others  can  only  follow. 

I  had  seated  myself  on  a  rock,  soon  after  the  departure 
of  the  guides,  to  watch  the  deer,  whose  head  was  visible  to 
me  in  my  position,  although  fully  a  mile  away.  I  could 
not,  however,  at  so  great  a  distance  determine  whether 
the  animal  possessed  antlers  or  not ;  but  the  leisurely  man- 
ner in  which  it  was  swimming  satisfied  me  its  pursuers  were 


Watson]   HUNTING  SCENES  IN  CANADIAN  WOODS.      179 

undiscovered  until  they  had  made  at  least  three-fourths  of 
the  whole  distance.  The  animal,  when  first  discovered, 
was  nearly  opposite  to  our  camp  and  within  a  few  rods  of 
the  farther  shore.  The  guides,  in  order  to  succeed  in  the 
accomplishment  of  their  purpose,  were  compelled  to  make 
a  considerable  detour  to  the  rear  of  the  animal,  and  finally 
come  up  between  it  and  the  shore.  Fortunately  for  us, 
they  had  remained  for  a  considerable  time  undiscovered, 
and  the  animal,  in  the  mean  time,  was  gradually  leaving  the 
shore  while  swimming  down  the  lake. 

The  moment  came,  however,  when  the  pursuers  were 
discovered,  and  the  deer  then  made  the  most  frantic  efforts. 
I  could  see  it  spring  forward  with  all  its  power,  raising  its 
head  high  in  the  air  with  each  grand  effort,  but  the  guides 
are  pulling  stronger  than  before  on  their  paddles.  They 
seem,  when  viewed  from  my  position,  to  be  only  a  few  rods 
in  the  rear  of  the  animal,  but  the  deer  is  heading  for  the 
shore,  and  seems  about  ready  to  bound  into  the  forest.  It 
is  now  evident  to  me  that  the  chase  can  only  last  a  few 
seconds. 

I  sprang  from  my  seat ;  I  recalled  the  fact  that  the  guides 
had  no  gun  in  the  boat ;  I  realized  that  if  they  had  one  they 
could  now  easily  kill  the  animal ;  they  were  almost  on  it. 
An  instant  later  and  the  canoe  is  seen  between  the  deer  and  the 
shore.  A  loud  shout  is  heard  from  the  guides ;  they  wave 
their  hats;  tbey  are  victorious,  and  the  disappointed  deer 
now  turns  and  swims  towards  the  middle  of  the  lake.  Its 
grandest  effort  has  been  made  ;  fatigue  and  disappointment 
slow  down  its  movements. 

It  was  now  an  easy  task  for  the  guides  to  direct  the  ani- 
mal to  any  point  on  the  lake.  The  canoe  was  kept  in  the 
rear,  and  when  it  was  brought  forward  towards  the  right 
of  the  deer  it  would  cause  the  animal  to  oblique  to  the  left 
and  vice  versa.     In  this  manner  they  proceeded  to  cross  the 


180  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Watson 

lake,  bringing  the  doe  in  front  of  the  rock  on  which  I  was 
seated ;  but  while  she  was  still  about  six  hundred  yards 
away  they  called  on  me  to  take  a  shot.    1  demurred  against 
their  request,  inasmuch  as  the  portion  of  the  animal  now 
visible  did  not  much  exceed  the  dimensions  of  a  pint  cup. 
The  first  ball  fired  fell  short  about  fifty  yards,  and  then 
ricochetted  nearly  across  the  lake.     Another  shot  was  fired 
with  no  better  result,  and  thus  I  continued  for   several 
minutes,  but  not  without  making  some  improvement.     The 
shots  were  pronounced  by  the  guides  to  be  accurate,  so  far 
as  the  line  of  the  target  was  concerned,  but  the  balls  stdl 
fell  short  of  the  mark. 

The  photographer,  who  was  absent  in  the  woods  when  I 
commenced  firing,  now  made  his  appearance,  and,  seizing 
the  Winchester  rifle,  began  to  compete  with  me.     He  was 
able  to  fire  two  shots  with  the  repeater  while  I  could  fire 
one  from  the  breech-loading  Ballard.    The  contest  between 
us  was  now  very  lively,  and  we  succeeded  in  persuading 
the  guides  to  bring  the  game  nearer  to  us,  so  that  the  ani- 
mal was  not  more  than  one  hundred  yards  from  the  muz- 
zles of  our  rifles.     The  bullets  now  fell  in  very  close  prox- 
ity  to  the  doe's  head ;  none  were  more  than  four  or  five 
inches  from  its  centre.     Six  or  eight  shots  have  been  fired 
with  this  degree  of  accuracy,  when  I  send  in  one  that 
breaks  the  skin  over  the  base  of  the  animal's  skull.     She 
dodges  her  head  downward,  but  quickly  brings  it  up  again, 
whe°n  a  shot  from  Mildenberger  ends  this  trial  of  skill.    The 
guides  shout  aloud  and  lustily  cheer  the  photographer, 
who  proudly  puts  down  his  rifle  and  wipes  the  perspiration 
from  his  brow. 

[The  author  proceeds  to  give  a  series  of  interesting  accounts  of  moose- 
hunts,  somewhat  too  extended  for  the  space  we  can  give  him.  We  shall 
therefore  close  with  an  amusing  incident,  in  which  "  Jim,"  one  of  the 
guides,  and  his  dog  were  the  acting  characters.] 


Watson]  HUNTING  SCENES  IN  CANADIAN  WOODS.      181 

The  clouds  have  begun  to  disappear,  the  bright  rays  of 
sunshine  are  now  lighting  up  our  pathway,  while  the  gen- 
tle zephyrs  are  moving  the  foliage  of  the  forest-trees.  The 
prospects  of  a  fine  day's  sport  are  brightening  at  this  mo- 
ment. "  Jim"  exclaims,  "  We  will  have  a  good  day  of  it 
yet!"  while  at  the  same  time  a  partridge  rises  at  the  road- 
side, an  event  which  is  announced  to  us  by  the  barking  of 
the  cocker-spaniel.  This  dog  had  taken  his  position  at  the 
foot  of  a  small  tree,  the  branches  of  which  even  overhung 
the  roadway,  and  here  continued  to  bark  lustily,  thus 
keeping  the  attention  of  the  bird  until  the  lad  sent  up  his 
compliments,  which  she  promptly  acknowledged  by  tum- 
bling to  the  ground. 

The  killing  of  this  bird  gave  rise  to  a  highly  ludicrous 
scene,  which  I  fully  appreciated  at  the  time,  and  which  I 
can  never  readily  forget.  Jim  had  previously  told  me  that 
the  old  cocker-spaniel  had  a  very  bad  habit,  and  would 
"  mouth"  the  birds  whenever  he  could  get  hold  of  them, 
while  he  entirely  disregarded  the  order  to  "  bring  dead 
bird."  The  owner  of  this  dog  had,  likewise,  informed  me 
that  the  animal  had  never  received  any  training,  but  natu- 
rally hunted  very  well,  and  was  a  good  "  treer."  The  in- 
stant the  lad  fired  at  this  bird,  Jim  sprang  into  the  woods 
with  the  alacrity  of  a  hound,  in  order  to  grab  the  falling 
partridge  before  the  old  cocker  could  get  hold  of  him. 

The  cocker,  however,  succeeded  in  getting  the  best  of 
Jim,  grabbed  the  bird  in  his  mouth,  and  started  off  at  full 
speed,  while  the  guide  followed  hirn  on  the  jump,  as  a  fox- 
hound might  follow  a  hare,  shouting,  with  every  bound, 
"  Stop !  stop !  drop  it !  drop  it !"  until  the  woods  became 
fairly  resonant  with  these  sounds.  A  few  seconds  later 
the  dog  emerged  from  the  woods,  still  clinging  to  the  bird, 
closely  followed  by  the  irate  guide,  who  still  yelled  as 
though  his  life  depended  on  this  effort. 

10 


182  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Watson 

Here  the  old  dog  made  the  fatal  mistake  which  finally 
cost  him  the  prize  he  had  attempted  to  steal.  He  started 
down  the  road  as  rapidly  as  he  could  run,  but  Jim  steadily 
gained  ground  on  him.  Jim  was  wearing  on  this  occasion 
a  pair  of  heavy  leather  brogans,  which  contained  in  the 
soles  about  fifty  steel  spikes.  These  shoes,  in  fact,  were 
procured  by  him  while  he  was  engaged  in  that  occupation 
commonly  designated  as  "  river-driving,"  and  these  spikes 
were  intended  to  nail  him  firmly  to  the  floating  logs,  and 
thus  prevent  accident  or  injur}'  from  slipping.  The  road 
on  which  this  race  between  the  old  cocker  and  our  guide 
took  place  was  nearly  a  mass  of  rocks,  generally  flat  on  the 
upper  surface,  which  formed  the  road-bed,  although  they 
possessed  many  irregularities  of  surface,  size,  etc.  The 
moment  the  guide  and  dog  emerged  from  the  woods  and 
started  off  on  this  road,  they  were  in  full  view  of  both  my 
son  and  myself.  The  sparks  eliminated  by  the  contact  of 
the  spikes  in  Jim's  brogans  with  the  rocks  in  his  pathway 
lighted  up  his  trail,  and  added  greatly  to  the  ludicrousness 
of  the  scene.  The  race  may  be  fairly  said  to  have  been  nip 
and  tuck,  but  the  guide  was  slowly  gaining  on  the  cocker. 

They  had  run  about  ten  rods  when  Jim's  brogans  were 
in  close  proximity  to  the  old  dog's  tail.  It  seemed  highly 
probable  at  this  moment  that  the  guide's  spiked  shoes 
would  be  used  as  a  petard  for  the  destruction  of  the  fugi- 
tive thief;  but  no,  he  has  determined  to  capture  him  alive. 

Behold  them  at  this  moment !  Jim  has  dropped,  with 
the  intention  of  seizing  the  old  rascal  with  his  hands.  The 
old  dog — as  if  anticipating  this  movement — has  suddenly 
jumped  to  one  side,  and  instantly  turned  to  retrace  his 
steps.  Jim  struck  the  ground  with  a  heavy  thud,  but  was 
neither  killed  nor  severely  injured  by  this  manoeuvre.  The 
dog,  however,  in  the  mean  time,  had  been  rapidly  gaining 
on   the  guide,  and   was  well    started   on   the   homeward 


Watson]  HUNTING  SCENES  IN  CANADIAN  WOODS.      183 

stretch.  He  occasionally  turned  his  head,  in  order  to 
catch  a  glimpse  of  his  pursuer,  but  he  did  not  halt,  nor 
even  slacken  his  pace. 

Jim  was  soon  on  his  feet  again,  but  not  until  the  dog  had 
secured  a  good  start.  The  guide  was  maddened  by  failure, 
and  resumed  the  race  with  a  fierce  determination  to  win. 
Every  second  shortened  the  distance  between  the  contest- 
ants when  Jim  had  fairly  succeeded  in  getting  under  way. 
The  old  dog  seemed  to  fully  comprehend  the  gravity  of  the 
situation,  and  occasionally  turned  his  head  for  the  purpose 
of  discovering  and  estimating  his  danger.  He  had  passed 
safely  one-half  of  the  home-stretch,  but  was  at  this  moment 
compelled  to  drop  the  bird  from  hrs  mouth.  Jim  was  at 
this  moment  close  upon  the  dog's  heels,  but  he  heeded  not 
the  dead  bird,  and  was  evidently  determined  to  punish  the 
thief.  The  old  cocker  showed  at  this  time  unmistakable 
signs  of  exhaustion  and  fear,  and  was  unquestionably  re- 
pentant. Jim's  brogans  were  once  more  at  the  dog's  caudal 
extremity,  when  he  suddenly  dodged  aside  and  endeavored 
to  reach  the  cover  of  the  woods ;  but  he  was  too  completely 
exhausted  to  accomplish  this  object.  He  dropped  to  the 
ground  and  looked  imploringly  into  Jim's  eyes  for  mercy  ; 
but  Jim  heeded  not  the  imploring  looks  and  cringing  atti- 
tude of  the  old  rascal.  He  had  him  by  the  nape  of  the 
neck,  and  promptly  administered  the  well-merited  punish- 
ment. The  old  dog  fairly  yelled  with  pain,  and  Jim  yelled 
back  to  him,  "  Steal  the  boy's  bird,  will  you  ?  I  will  teach 
you  honesty  1     I  will,  you  old  rascal !" 

The  whole  scene  had  been  watched  by  the  boy  and  mj''- 
self.  The  comical  part  played  by  the  actors  can  be  more 
easily  imagined  than  described.  It  caused  peal  after  peal 
of  laughter  from  the  boy  and  myself.  The  boy  finally 
dropped  down  upon  the  ground  before  the  race  ended, 
having  been  so  convulsed  with  laughter  as  to  be  unable  to 


184  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Watson 

stand  erect,  while  I  only  remained  standing  until  the  race 
ended,  and  then  followed  my  son's  example.  Jim  having 
administered  the  necessary  chastisement  to  the  dog,  like- 
wise sought  rest  on  the  bosom  of  mother-earth,  while  the 
old  cocker,  after  having  sulked  a  few  moments  in  the 
woods,  came  sneakingly  out  and  cautiously  approached 
the  contestant  in  the  race,  licked  affectionately  his  hand, 
and  then  looked  imploringly  up  into  his  eyes.  The  dog 
having  thus  humbly  acknowledged  the  justice  of  the  pun- 
ishment which  had  been  inflicted  on  him,  was  then  freely 
forgiven  by  Jim,  who  patted  him  affectionately  on  the  head 

and  back. 

Thus  there  was  perfect  harmony  between  the  guide  and 
the  spaniel.  The  dog  immediately  reclined  at  Jim's  side, 
placed  his  head  affectionately  on  his  master,  having  as- 
sumed a  position  which  enabled  him  to  look  wistfully  into 
the  latter's  face.  Our  little  mongrel  dog  had  not  remained 
entirely  inactive  during  these  exciting  events.  In  the  race 
he  participated,  though  falling  far  behind  both  actors; 
nevertheless  he  barked  and  wagged  his  tail  continuously, 
thus  showing  the  joy  and  interest  which  he  felt  in  this  part 
of  the  proceedings,  although  when  the  chastisement  com- 
menced he  drew  his  tail  between  his  legs,  suddenly  disap- 
peared in  the  woods,  and  only  reappeared  after  the  lapse 
of  an  hour. 

[Shortly  after  they  started  again  the  hoy  hrought  down  another 
hird,  whose  presence  had  heen  announced  by  the  cocker-spaniel.] 

The  old  dog  made  no  attempt  on  this  occasion  to  secure 
the  bird  when  it  fell  to  the  ground,  but,  on  the  contrary, 
did  not  move  from  the  spot  where  he  was  standing,  and 
allowed  the  guide  to  approach  quietly  the  dead  bird  and  to 
pocket  the  same.  In  fact,  it  may  be  stated  that  we  had  no 
further  trouble  with  this  dog  during  the  remainder  of  the 


Bryant]     THE   GRAND  FALLS  OF  LABRADOR.  1S5 

hunt.  He  had  previously  shown  much  affection  for  Jim  ; 
but  after  the  chase  and  the  chastisement  which  he  received 
he  was  certainly  doubly  affectionate  towards  his  master. 
He  had  always  hunted  faithfully  for  us,  but  during  the 
balance  of  the  day  he  seemed  to  be  more  than  usually 
active,  aud  found  many  birds  by  the  roadside. 


THE  GRAND  FALLS  OF  LABRADOR. 

HENRY  G.  BRYANT. 

[The  discovery  of  America  has  not  yet  heen  completed.  Certainly 
that  of  its  Canadian  section  has  not  been.  There  are  wide  districts  of 
that  great  area  on  which  human  foot  has  never  been  set,  and  as  late 
as  1895  we  were  advised  of  the  discovery  of  a  great  river,  with  its 
head-waters  near  those  of  the  Ottawa,  but  previously  unsuspected. 
Labrador  has  been  but  little  traversed,  and  the  Grand  Falls  had  only 
been  seen  by  two  white  men  previously  to  Mr.  Bryant's  visit  in  the 
summer  of  1891.  "What  we  know  of  it,  and  of  the  course  of  the 
Grand,  or  Hamilton  Kiver,  we  owe  chiefly  to  him,  since  the  only 
earlier  account  is  the  imperfect  one  given  by  John  McLean,  describing 
his  visit  in  1839.  The  enterprise  was  not  an  easy  one,  as  will  appear 
from  the  description  of  the  hardships  of  the  journey.  The  party  con- 
sisted of  Mr.  Bryant,  of  Philadelphia,  Professor  Kenaston,  of  Wash- 
ington, John  Montague,  a  young  Scotchman,  and  Geoffrey  Ban,  an 
Eskimo,  the  last  two  hailing  from  Labrador.  These  four  had  to  drag 
a  heavy  boat  against  a  swift  current  for  many  miles  up  the  stream,  in 
the  manner  described  below.] 

The  usual  method  employed  was  what  is  technically 
known  as  "tracking."  That  is,  a  strong  rope,  about  the 
thickness  of  a  clothes-line,  was  tied  to  the  gunwale  of  the 
boat  just  aft  of  the  bow.  To  the  shore  end  of  this  broad 
leather  straps  were  attached.  With  these  across  their 
shoulders,  three  of  the  party  tugged  away  along  the  rocky 
bank,  while  number  four  of  our  crew,  with  an  oar  lashed 

1G* 


186  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Brtakt 

in  the  stern,  steered  a  devious  course  among  the  rocks  and 
shallows  of  the  river.  The  "tow-path"  in  this  instance 
was  of  the  roughest  and  most  diversified  character.  Sandy 
terraces  and  extended  reaches  covered  with  glacial  boul- 
ders characterized  the  lower  portion  of  the  river,  while 
farther  up-stream  great  numbers  of  smaller  boulders,  in- 
securely lodged  on  the  precipitous  sandy  banks,  would 
baffle  us  by  the  precarious  footing  they  afforded.  Where 
a  combination  of  this  "rubble"  and  a  troublesome  rapid 
occurred,  it  was  only  by  the  most  violent  exertion  and  no 
end  of  slipping  and  sliding  that  the  tension  of  the  tow-line 
could  be  maintained  on  the  treacherous  ground.  Then, 
again,  stretches  of  steep  rocky  bank,  where  no  tracking 
was  possible,  would  often  compel  us  to  scale  the  rugged 
cliffs  and  pass  the  line  from  one  to  another  over  various 
obstacles.  Wading  through  the  water  was  frequently  the 
only  resource.  This  was  always  the  case  when  we  reached 
a  place  in  the  river  where  the  spring  freshets  had  under- 
mined the  banks,  and  where  numbers  of  trees,  stumps,  and 
underbrush  littered  the  shore,  forming  chevaux-de-frise  of 
the  most  formidable  character. 

The  long  daylight  of  midsummer  in  this  subarctic  region 
was  a  point  in  our  favor,  enabling  us  to  work  to  the  limit 
of  our  strength.  Here,  indeed,  we  found  that  "Night  and 
day  hold  each  other's  hands  upon  the  hill-tops.  .  .  .  No 
sooner  does  the  sun  set  north  by  west,  than,  like  a  giant 
refreshed,  it  rises  again  north  by  east." 

[At  times  they  had  to  drag  the  hoat  up  rapids,  at  times  to  unload 
and  transport  it  and  its  contents  around  falls  by  difficult  portages. 
Through  much  of  the  course  the  stream  ran  at  about  eight  miles  an 
hour,  but  many  rapids  added  to  this  speed.] 

Judged  by  ordinary  standards  of  travel,  our  advance  up 
the  river  was  slow  indeed  ;  but  to  those  who  are  familiar 


Bryant]     THE  GRAND  FALLS  OF  LABRADOR.  187 

with  canoe  transportation  on  Canadian  rivers,  I  am  sure 
our  progress  will  appear  respectable,  when  the  unwieldy- 
character  of  our  boat  is  taken  into  consideration.  There 
seems  to  be  something  positively  personal  and  vindictive 
in  the  resistance  which  rapids  make  to  a  traveller's  ad- 
vance into  a  wild  and  mountainous  country.  There  was, 
accordingly,  a  cumulative  feeling  of  satisfaction  as  one 
after  another  of  these  barriers  of  nature's  making  were 
surmounted.  In  the  swollen  condition  of  the  river,  the 
struggle  with  these  wild  rapids  was  often  as  savage  and 
exhilarating  as  one  could  desire.  John  and  myself  usually 
took  the  lead  on  the  tow-line,  Geoffrey  busying  himself 
with  keeping  the  line  clear  of  snags,  while  to  Professor 
Kenaston  was  assigned  the  steersman's  part.  Bending  to 
their  work,  the  linemen  would  clamber  along  the  bank, 
dragging  the  slowly  yielding  mass  up-stream.  Ofttimes 
the  force  of  the  current  would  carry  out  the  boat  far  into 
mid-stream,  until  the  full  length  of  line  would  be  ex- 
hausted. We  could  do  nothing  then  but  hang  on  like  grim 
death  and  watch  our  craft  toss  and  roll  amid  the  billows, 
until,  like  a  spirited  horse,  gradually  yielding  to  the  strain, 
she  would  turn  her  head  shoreward.  Professor  Kenaston, 
meanwhile,  with  tense  muscles,  bending  to  the  steering-oar, 
skilfully  guided  his  charge  amid  the  encompassing  rocks 
and  eddies, — the  only  quiet  figure  on  the  surging  flood  of 
the  river.  .  .  . 

Looking  back  on  these  days  spent  along  the  river,  I 
recall  how  each  one  was  filled  with  incident  and  how  all 
were  stimulated  by  the  uncertainty  of  what  lay  before  us. 
It  is  the  experience  of  many  that,  in  recalling  travels  of 
this  kind,  the  pleasant  features  of  the  time  are  remembered 
with  more  distinctness  than  the  trying  ones.  So  in  the 
retrospect  of  this  journey,  many  of  the  incidents,  unpleas- 
ant at  the  time,  are  softened  by  time's  perspective,  while 


188  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Bryant 

the  bright  ones  stand  out  in  bolder  relief  and  recur  to  the 
memory  with  pleasure.  One  awkward  adventure,  however, 
which  occurred  on  the  first  day  on  the  Mouni  Eapids,  I 
have  not  yet  succeeded  in  relegating  to  the  realm  of  forget- 
fulness.  We  were  approaching  a  rocky  point,  similar  to 
many  others  we  had  encountered,  past  which  the  water 
dashed  with  angry  violence.  It  was  our  custom,  on  reach- 
ing such  a  place,  to  first  detach  the  canoe,  and  then  to  shove 
out  the  boat  obliquely  from  the  still  water,  to  allow  her 
bow  to  fairly  meet  the  swifter  current.  On  this  occasion, 
while  Montague  and  I,  facing  up-stream,  were  waiting 
on  the  bank  above  for  the  signal  to  advance,  the  boat, 
through  some  carelessness,  was  pushed  out  from  the  quiet 
eddy  squarely  into  the  swift  water.  The  full  force  of  the 
torrent  struck  her  abeam,  and  away  she  swept  down- 
stream like  a  thing  possessed.  Taken  unawares,  no  time 
was  given  to  throw  off  the  leather  straps  from  our  shoul- 
ders, and  instantly  we  were  thrown  from  our  feet  and 
dragged  over  the  rocks  into  the  river  by  the  merciless 
strength  of  the  flood.  Most  fortunately  for  me,  the  circu- 
lar strap  slipped  over  my  head  as  I  was  being  dragged 
through  the  water.  Montague's  also  released  itself,  and 
the  runaway  sped  down-stream  a  quarter  of  a  mile  before 
stopping.  On  clambering  up  the  bank  I  found  Montague 
stunned  and  bleeding  from  a  scalp  wound.  Aside  from 
some  abrasions  of  the  skin,  I  was  none  the  worse  for  the 
shaking  up,  and  after  a  brief  delay  Montague  revived,  and 
we  resumed  our  "  tow-path"  exercise. 

[The  climate  did  not  prove  as  severe  as  was  expected,  the  tempera- 
ture being  just  low  enough  to  be  exhilarating  and  bracing.  Game  and 
fish  were  abundant,  and  two  black  bears  were  killed  by  the  party.] 

The  declining  sun  of  August  20  beheld  our  small  craft 
glide  into  the  smooth  waters  of  Lake  Wanakopow.     The 


Bryant]     THE   GRAND  FALLS  OF  LABRADOR.  189 

first  view  of  the  lake  was  beautiful,  and  most  grateful  to 
our  eyes  after  the  long  struggle  with  the  rapids.  Even 
Geoffrey  and  John,  usually  indifferent  to  scenic  effects, 
could  not  conceal  their  admiration  as  we  glided  by  tower- 
ing cliffs  and  wooded  headlands,  and  beheld  at  intervals 
cascades  leaping  from  the  rocks  into  the  lake,  their  silvery 
outlines  glistening  in  the  sun  and  contrasting  distinctly 
with  the  environment  of  dark  evergreen  foliage.  This 
romantic  sheet  of  water  stretches  in  a  northeasterly  and 
southwesterly  direction  a  distance  of  about  thirty-five 
miles,  and  has  an  elevation  above  sea-level,  according  to 
my  aneroid  observations,  of  four  hundred  and  sixty-two 
feet.  Low  mountains  of  granite  and  gneiss  rise  on  both 
sides,  and  the  average  width  of  the  lake  is  less  than  one 
mile.  A  sounding  taken  near  the  middle  showed  a  depth 
of  four  hundred  and  six  feet.  This  narrow  elevated  basin 
is  probably  of  glacial  origin,  the  presence  of  great  numbers 
of  boulders  and  the  rounded  appearance  of  the  hill  sum- 
mits pointing  to  a  period  of  ice  movement. 

[They  finally  reached  a  point  beyond  the  previously  stated  location 
of  the  falls,  and  on  August  27  attained  the  head  of  boat  navigation 
in  a  wide,  shallow  rapid.] 

While  at  the  Northwest  River  Post  we  had  learned  from 
a  reliable  Indian  that  the  old  trail,  long  disused,  led  from 
this  point  on  the  river  to  a  chain  of  lakes  on  the  table-land. 
By  following  these  lakes  and  crossing  the  intervening 
"carries,"  the  rapid  water  which  extends  for  fifteen  miles 
below  the  Falls  could  be  circumvented,  and  the  traveller 
brought  finally  to  the  waters  of  the  Grand  River,  many 
miles  above  the  Grand  Falls.  Our  plan  was  to  follow  this 
old  trail  for  several  days,  and  then  to  leave  the  canoe 
and  strike  across  country  in  a  direction  which  we  hoped 
would  bring  us  again  to  the  river  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Falls. 


190  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Bryant 

It  was  deemed  best  to  follow  this  circuitous  canoe  route 
rather  than  to  attempt  to  follow  the  banks  of  the  river  on 
foot,  in  which  case  everything  would  have  to  be  carried  on 
our  backs  through  dense  forests  for  many  miles. 

After  a  long  search  the  old  trail  was  found,  and,  leaving 
Geoffrey  in  charge  of  the  main  camp  on  the  river,  the  other 
members  of  the  party  took  the  canoe  and  a  week's  pro- 
visions, and  began  the  ascent  of  the  steep  path  which  led. 
up  to  the  edge  of  the  elevated  plateau,  which  here  ap- 
proaches the  river.  Making  a  "  carry"  of  three  miles  to 
the  north  along  the  old  trail,  we  reached  the  first  of  the 
chain  of  lakes,  where  we  erected  a  rude  shelter  and  camped 
for  the  night.  A  violent  storm  arose  during  the  night,  and 
next  day  we  lost  much  time  in  seeking  for  the  continua- 
tion of  the  trail  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  lake.  Having 
been  disused  for  twenty-seven  years,  the  path,  where  it 
came  out  on  the  lake-shore,  was  distinguished  by  no 
"  blazes"  on  the  trees,  or  recent  choppings.  This  necessi- 
tated a  careful  examination  of  the  shores  on  all  the  lakes, 
and  caused  considerable  delay. 

We  were  now  on  the  great  table-land  of  the  Labrador 
interior,  and,  wishing  to  get  a  good  outlook,  climbed  a 
conspicuous  hill  near  by  to  scan  the  adjacent  country. 
A  view  truly  strange  and  impressive  was  before  us.  As 
far  as  the  eye  could  reach  extended  an  undulating  country, 
sparsely  covered  with  stunted  spruce-trees,  among  which 
great  weather-worn  rocks  gleamed,  while  on  all  sides 
white  patches  of  caribou  moss  gave  a  snowy  effect  to  the 
scene.  A  hundred  shallow  lakes  reflected  the  fleeting 
clouds  above,  their  banks  lined  with  boulders,  and  present- 
ing a  labyrinth  of  channels  and  island  passages.  Low 
hills  arose  at  intervals  among  the  bogs  and  lakes,  but  the 
general  effect  of  the  landscape  was  that  of  flatness  and 
bleak  monotony. 


Bryant]     THE  GRAND  FALLS  OF  LABRADOR.  191 

The  continuation  of  the  old  Nascopie  trail  remaining  in- 
visible, to  escape  the  discomfort  of  another  rainy  night 
on  the  plateau  we  returned  to  the  shelter  of  the  camp  on 
the  river.  On  August  30  we  returned  to  Geoffrey  Lake, 
where  our  patient  search  for  the  trail  was  at  last  suc- 
cessful. 

Next  day  we  advanced  along  the  trail,  which  led  us  over 
four  "  carries"  and  across  five  lakes.  For  convenience  of 
reference,  we  applied  names  to  some  of  these  small  sheets 
of  water.  Thus,  the  third  one  of  the  chain  was  designated 
"  Gentian  Lake,"  from  finding  the  closed  variety  of  the 
blue  gentian  growing  on  its  borders.  The  next  day  we 
turned  aside  from  the  dim  trail  and  paddled  to  the  north- 
western extremity  of  the  sixth  lake,  where  we  drew  the 
canoe  ashore  and  prepared  for  the  tramp  across  country. 
Arrayed  in  heavy  marching  order,  and  carrying  nearly  all 
that  remained  of  our  provisions,  we  were  soon  advancing 
westward  on  a  course  which  we  hoped  would  soon  bring 
us  to  the  river  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Palls.  The  country 
we  were  now  passing  through  was  of  the  most  desolate 
character,  denuded  of  trees  and  the  surface  covered  with 
caribou  moss,  Labrador  tea  plants,  blueberry-bushes,  and 
thousands  of  boulders.  By  keeping  to  the  ridges  fair 
progress  was  made ;  but  when  compelled  to  leave  the  higher 
ground  and  skirt  the  borders  of  the  lakes,  dense  thickets 
of  alders  and  willows  were  encountered,  and  these  greatly 
impeded  our  advance.  Language  seems  inadequate  to 
describe  the  desolation  of  this  upland  landscape.  No  living 
thing  was  encountered,  and  the  silence  of  primordial  time 
reigned  supreme. 

Just  before  sunset  we  went  into  camp  on  a  hill-side  near 
a  large  lake,  and  soon  after,  from  the  top  of  a  high  rock, 
beheld  a  great  column  of  mist  rising  like  smoke  against 
the  western  sky.     This  we  knew  marked  the  position  of 


192 


HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Bryant 


the  Falls,  and,  needless  to  say,  our  spirits  rose— oblivious 
of  our  bleak  surroundings— as  we  contemplated  the  near 
attainment  of  our  journey's  end.  During  the  night  the 
thermometer  registered  a  minimum  temperature  of  forty- 
one  degrees,  and  we  were  treated  to  a  superb  display  of 
Northern  Lights. 

September  2  was  a  day  memorable  as  marking  the  date 
of  our  arrival  at  the  Grand  Falls.  A  rough  march  over 
the  rocks  and  bogs  intervened,  however,  before  we  reached 
this  goal.  As  we  approached  the  river,  spruce- forests  of  a 
heavier  growth  appeared,  and,  pressing  on  through  these, 
although  we  could  no  longer  see  the  overhanging  mist,  the 
deep  roar  of  falling  waters  was  borne  to  our  ears  with 
growing  distinctness.  After  what  seemed  an  intolerable 
length  of  time— so  great  was  our  eagerness— a  space  of 
light  in  the  trees  ahead  made  known  the  presence  of  the 
river.  Quickening  our  steps,  we  pushed  on,  and  with  beat- 
ing hearts  emerged  from  the  forest  near  the  spot  where 
the  river  plunged  into  the  chasm  with  a  deafening  roar. 

A  single  glance  showed  us  that  we  had  before  us  one  of  the 

greatest  waterfalls  in  the  world.     Standing  at  the  rocky 

brink  of  the  chasm,  a  wild  and  tumultuous  scene  lay  before 

us,  a  scene  possessing  elements  of  sublimity  and  with 

details  not  to  be  apprehended  in  the  first  moments  of 

wondering  contemplation.     Far  up-stream  one  beheld  the 

surging,  fleecy  waters  and  tempestuous  billows,  dashing 

high  their  crests  of  foam,  all  forced  onward  with  resistless 

power  towards  the  steep  rock,  whence  they  took  their  wild 

leap  into  the  deep  pool  below.     Turning  to  the  very  brink 

and  looking  over,  we  gazed  into  a  world  of  mists  and  mighty 

reverberations.     Here  the  exquisite  colors  of  the  rainbow 

fascinated  the  eye,  and  majestic  sounds  of  falling  waters 

continued  the  ptean  of  the  ages.    Below  and  beyond  the 

seething  caldron  the  river  appeared,  pursuing  its  turbulent 


Bryant]     THE  GRAND   FALLS  OF  LABRADOR.  193 

career,  past  frowning  cliffs  and  over  miles  of  rapids,  where 
it  heard  "no  sound  save  its  own  dashings."  The  babel  of 
waters  made  conversation  a  matter  of  difficulty,  and  after  a 
mute  exchange  of  congratulations,  we  turned  our  attention 
to  examining  the  river  in  detail  above  and  below  the  Falls. 

A  mile  above  the  main  leap  the  river  is  a  noble  stream 
four  hundred  yards  wide,  already  flowing  at  an  accelerated 
speed.  Four  rapids,  marking  successive  depressions  in  the 
river-bed,  intervene  between  this  point  and  the  Falls.  At 
the  first  rapid  the  width  of  the  stream  is  not  more  than  one 
hundred  and  seventy-five  yards,  and  from  thence  rapidly 
contracts  until  reaching  a  point  above  the  escarpment 
proper,  where  the  entire  column  of  fleecy  water  is  com- 
pressed within  rocky  banks  not  more  than  fifty  yards  apart. 

Here  the  effect  of  resistless  power  is  extremely  fine. 
The  maddened  waters,  sweeping  downward  with  terrific 
force,  rise  in  great  surging  billows  high  above  the  encom- 
passing banks  ere  they  finally  hurl  themselves  into  the  gulf 
below.  A  great  pillar  of  mist  rises  from  the  spot,  and 
numerous  rainbows  span  the  watery  abyss,  constantly 
forming  and  disappearing  amid  the  clouds  of  spray.  An 
immense  volume  of  water  precipitates  itself  over  the 
rocky  ledge,  and  under  favorable  conditions  the  roar  of  the 
cataract  can  be  heard  for  twenty  miles.  Below  the  Falls, 
the  river  turning  to  the  southeast,  pursues  its  maddened 
career  for  twenty-five  miles  shut  in  by  vertical  cliffs  of 
gneissic  rock,  which  rises  in  places  to  a  height  of  four  hun- 
dred feet.  The  rocky  banks  above  and  below  the  Falls  aro 
thickly  wooded  with  firs  and  spruces,  among  which  the 
graceful  form  of  the  white  birch  appears  in  places. 

[The  Falls  were  photographed  from  several  points  of  view,  and  care- 
fully measured,  the  vertical  descent  proving  to  be  over  three  hundred 
feet,  while  the  chute  or  rapid  at  their  head  made  a  farther  descent  of 
thirty-two  feet.] 

I.— I        n  17 


194  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Bbyant 

The  deep,  incessant  roar  of  the  cataract  that  night  was 
our  lullaby  as,  stretched  out  under  a  rough  "  barricade," 
we  glided  into  that  realm  of  forgetfulness  where  even  sur- 
roundings strange  as  ours  counted  as  naught. 

By  the  morning  light  we  again  viewed  the  wonders  of 
the  place,  and  sought  for  some  sign  of  the  presence  of  bird 
or  animal  in  the  vicinity  ;  but  not  a  track  or  the  glint  of  a 
bird's  wing  rewarded  our  quest,  and  this  avoidance  of  the 
place  by  the  wild  creatures  of  the  forest  seemed  to  add  a 
new  element  of  severity  to  the  eternal  loneliness  of  the 

spot. 

The  Grand  Falls  of  Labrador,  with  their  grim  environ- 
ment  of  time-worn,  archaic  rocks,  are  one  of  the  scenic 
wonders  of  this  Western  world,  and  if  nearer  civilization, 
would  be  visited  by  thousands  of  travellers  every  year. 
They  are  nearly  twice  as  high  as  Niagara,  and  are  only 
inferior  to  that  marvellous  cataract  in  breadth  and  volume 
of  water.  One  of  their  most  striking  characteristics  is  the 
astonishing  leap  into  space  which  the  torrent  makes  in  dis- 
charging itself  over  its  rocky  barrier.  From  the  descrip- 
tion given  of  the  rapid  drop  in  the  river-bed  and  concident 
narrowing  of  the  channel,  one  can  easily  understand  that 
the  cumulative  energy  expended  in  this  final  leap  of  the 
pent-up  waters  is  truly  titanic. 

If  a  substratum  of  softer  rock  existed  here,  as  at  Ni- 
agara, a  similar  "  Cave  of  the  Winds"  would  enable  one  to 
penetrate  a  considerable  distance  beneath  the  fall.  The 
uniform  structure  of  the  rock,  however,  prevents  any  un- 
equal disintegration,  and  thus  the  overarching  sheet  of 
water  covers  a  nearly  perpendicular  wall,  the  base  of  which 
is  washed  by  the  waters  of  the  lower  river.  In  spite  of 
the  fact  that  no  creature,  except  one  with  wings,  could 
hope  to  penetrate  this  subaqueous  chamber,  the  place  is 
inhabited,  if  we  are  to  believe  the  traditions  of  the  Lab- 


Brtant]     THE  GRAND  FALLS  OF  LABRADOR.  195 

rador  Indians.  Many  years  ago,  so  runs  the  tale,  two 
Indian  maidens,  gathering  firewood  near  the  Falls,  were 
enticed  to  the  brink  and  drawn  over  by  the  evil  spirit  of 
the  place.  During  the  long  years  since  then,  these  unfor- 
tunates have  been  condemned  to  dwell  beneath  the  fall 
and  forced  to  toil  daily  dressing  deer-skins  ;  until  now,  no 
longer  young  and  beautiful,  they  can  be  seen  betimes 
through  the  mist,  trailing  their  white  hair  behind  them 
and  stretching  out  shrivelled  arms  towards  any  mortal  who 
ventures  to  visit  the  confines  of  their  mystic  dwelling- 
place. 

The  Indian  name  for  the  Grand  Falls — Pat-ses-che-wan 
— means  'The  Narrow  Place  where  the  Water  Falls." 
Like  the  native  word  Niagara, — "Thunder  of  Waters," — 
this  Indian  designation  contains  a  poetic  and  descriptive 
quality  which  it  would  be  hard  to  improve. 

From  the  point  where  the  river  leaves  the  plateau  and 
plunges  into  the  deep  pool  below  the  Falls,  its  course  for 
fifteen  miles  is  through  one  of  the  most  remarkable  cafions 
in  the  world.  From  the  appearance  of  the  sides  of  this 
gorge,  and  the  zigzag  line  of  the  river,  the  indications  are 
that  the  stream  has  slowly  forced  its  way  through  this 
rocky  chasm,  cutting  its  way  back,  foot  by  foot,  from  the 
edge  of  the  plateau  to  the  present  position  of  the  Falls. 
Kecent  investigators  estimate  that  a  period  of  six  thousand 
years  was  required  to  form  the  gorge  below  Niagara  Falls  ; 
or,  in  other  words,  that  it  has  taken  that  time  for  the  Falls 
to  recede  from  their  former  position  at  Qucenstown  Heights 
to  their  present  location.  If  it  has  taken  this  length  of 
time  for  the  Niagara  Falls  to  make  their  way  back  a  dis- 
tance of  seven  miles  by  the  erosive  power  of  the  water 
acting  on  a  soft  shale  rock  supporting  a  stratum  of  lime- 
stone, the  immensity  of  time  involved  by  assuming  that 
the  Grand  River  canon  was  formed  in  the  same  way  is  so 


196  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Parry 

great  that  the  mind  falters  in  contemplating  it,  especially 
when  it  is  recognized  that  the  escarpment  of  the  Labrador 
Falls  is  of  hard  gueissic  rock.     And  yet  no  other  explana- 
tion of  the  origin  of  this  gorge  is  acceptable,  unless,  indeed, 
we  can  assume  that  at  some  former  time  a  fissure  occurred 
in  the  earth's  crust  as  a  result  of  igneous  agencies,  and 
that  this  fissure  ran  in  a  line  identical  with  the  present  I 
course  of  the  river;   in  which  case  the  drainage  of  the 
table-land,  collecting  into  the  Grand  Eiver,  would  follow 
the  line  of  least  resistance,  and  in  the  course  of  time  ex- 
cavate the  fissure  into  the  present  proportions  of  the  gorge. 


LIFE  AMONG  THE  ESQUIMAUX. 

WILLIAM   EDWARD    PARRY. 

rThe  attempt  to  find  a  northwest  passage  from  the  Atlantic  to  the 
Pacific,  hy  which  commerce  might  make  its  way  round  the  continent 
of  North  America,  occupied  the  attention  of  navigators  from  the  voy- 
age of  Henry  Hudson,  in  1610,  to  that  of  McClure,  in  1850 ;  the  lat- 
ter proving  that  such  a  passage  existed,  hut  that  it  was  impracticable 
for  commerce.  Among  those  engaged  in  this  enterprise  one  of  the 
most  notable  was  Captain  Parry,  from  whose  interesting  journal  of  Ins 
vovage  (1821-25)  the  following  selection  is  taken,  descriptive  of  expe- 
riences at  Gore  Bay,  where  the  ships  of  the  expedition  had  lam  all 
winter  in  the  ice.] 

On  the  2d  of  April  a  thin  sheet  of  bay-ice  several  miles 
square  had  formed  on  the  sea  to  the  eastward  and  south- 
ward, where  for  two  or  three  days  past  there  bad  been  a 
space  of  open  water.  This  was  occasioned  more  by  the 
wind  remaining  very  moderate  and  the  neap  tides  occur- 
ring about  this  time  than  from  any  great  degree  of  cold, 
the  thermometer  seldom  falling  below  —6°  or  —7°.    The 


Parry]  LIFE  AMONG    THE  ESQUIMAUX.  197 

wind,  however,  settling  in  the  southeast  to-day,  the  main 
body  of  ice,  which  had  been  scarcely  visible  in  the  offing, 
soon  began  to  move  inshore,  forcing  before  it  the  young 
floe  and  squeezing  it  up  into  innumerable  hummocks, 
which  presently,  being  cemented  together  by  a  fresh  for- 
mation in  their  interstices,  constituted  an  example  of  one  of 
the  ways  in  which  these  "  hummocky  floes"  are  produced, 
of  which  I  have  before  so  often  had  occasion  to  speak. 
We  were  always  glad  to  see  this  squeezing  process  take 
place  while  the  ice  was  still  thin  enough  to  admit  of  it,  as 
it  thus  became  compressed  perhaps  into  one-fiftieth  part  of 
the  compass  that  it  would  otherwise  have  occupied,  and 
of  course  left  so  much  the  more  open  space  upon  the  surface 
of  the  sea.  The  temperature  of  the  water  at  the  bottom 
in  eight  fathoms  was  to-day  28°,  being  the  same  as  that  of 
the  surface. 

Early  in  the  morning  tho  Esquimaux  had  been  observed 
in  motion  at  the  huts,  and  several  sledges  drawn  by  dogs 
and  heavily  laden  went  off  to  the  westward.  On  going  out 
to  the  village,  we  found  one-half  of  the  people  had  quitted 
their  late  habitations,  taking  with  them  every  article  of 
their  property,  and  had  gone  over  the  ice,  we  knew  not 
where,  in  quest  of  more  abundant  food.  The  wretched 
appearance  which  the  interior  of  the  huts  now  presented 
baffles  all  description.  In  each  of  the  larger  ones  some  of 
the  apartmonts  were  either  wholly  or  in  part  deserted,  the 
very  snow  which  composed  the  beds  and  fireplaces  having 
been  turned  up,  so  that  no  article  might  be  left  behind. 
Even  the  bare  walls,  whoso  original  color  was  scarcely  per- 
ceptible for  black,  blood,  and  other  filth,  were  not  left  per- 
fect, large  holes  having  been  made  in  the  sides  and  roofs 
for  the  convenience  of  handing  out  the  goods  and  chattels. 
The  sight  of  a  deserted  habitation  is  at  all  times  calculated 
to  excite  in  the  mind  a  sensation  of  dreariness  and  desola- 

17* 


198  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Parky 

tion,  especially  when  we  have  lately  seen  it  filled  with 
cheerful  inhabitants ;  but  the  feeling  is  even  heightened 
rather  than  diminished  when  a  small  portion  of  these  in- 
habitants  remain  behind  to  endure  the  wretchedness  which 
such  a  scene  exhibits.     This  was  now  the  case  at  the  vil- 
lage, where,  though  the  remaining  tenants  of  each  hut  had 
combined  to  occupy  one  of  the  apartments,  a  great  part 
of  the  bed-places  were  still  bare,  with  the  wind  and  drift 
blowing  in  through  the  holes  which  they  had  not  yet  taken 
the  trouble  to  stop  up.     The  old  man  Hikkeeira  and  his 
wife  occupied  a  hut  by  themselves,  without  any  lamp  or  a 
single  ounce  of  meat  belonging  to  them,  while  three  small 
skins,  on  which  the  former  was  lying,  were  all  that  they 
possessed   in  the  way  of  blankets.      Upon   the  whole,  I 
never  beheld  a  more  miserable  spectacle,  and  it  seemed 
a  charity  to  hope  that  a  violent  and  constant  cough  with 
which  the  old  man  was  afflicted  would  speedily  combine 
with  his  age  and  infirmities  to  release  him  from  his  present 
sufferings.     Yet  in  the  midst  of  all  this  he  was  even  cheer- 
ful, nor  was  there  a  gloomy  countenance  to  be  seen  at  the 

village. 

Almost  all  the  men  were  out,  and  some  of  them  had  been 
led  so  far  to  sea  upon  the  floating  and  detached  masses  of 
ice  in  pursuit  of  walruses  that  Captain  Lyon,  who  observed 
their  situation  from  the  ships,  had  it  in  contemplation,  in 
the  course  of  the  evening,  to  launch  one  of  the  small  boats 
to  go  to  their  assistance.  They  seemed,  however,  to  enter- 
tain  no  apprehension  themselves,  from  confidence,  perhaps, 
that  the  southeast  wind  might  be  depended  upon  for  keep- 
ing the  ice  close  home  upon  the  shore.  It  is  certain,  not- 
withstanding, that  no  degree  of  precaution,  nor  any  knowl- 
edge of  the  winds  and  tides,  can  render  this  otherwise  than 
a  most  perilous  mode  of  obtaining  subsistence;  and  it  was 
impossible,  therefore,  not  to  admire  the  fearlessness  as  well 


Parry]  LIFE  AMONG    THE  ESQUIMAUX.  199 

as  dexterity  with  which  the  Esquimaux  invariably  pur- 
sued it. 

Having  distributed  some  bread-dust  among  the  women, 
we  told  old  Illumea  and  her  daughter  Togolat  that  we 
proposed  taking  up  our  lodging  in  their  hut  for  the  night. 
It  is  a  remarkable  trait  in  the  character  of  these  people  tbat 
they  all  always  thank  you  heartily  for  this  as  well  as  for 
eating  any  of  their  meat,  but  both  board  and  lodging  may 
be  given  to  them  without  receiving  the  slightest  acknowl- 
edgment either  in  word  or  deed.  As  it  was  late  before  the 
men  returned,  I  asked  Togolat  to  get  the  rest  of  the  women 
to  perform  some  of  their  games,  with  the  hope  of  seeing 
something  that  was  new.  I  had  scarcely  time  to  make 
the  proposal  when  she  darted  out  of  the  hut  and  quickly 
brought  every  female  that  was  left  at  the  village,  not  ex- 
cepting even  the  oldest  of  them,  who  joined  in  the  per- 
formance with  the  same  alacrity  as  the  rest.  I  could,  how- 
ever, only  persuade  them  to  go  through  a  tedious  song  we 
had  often  before  heard,  which  was  now  indeed  somewhat 
modified  by  their  insisting  on  our  taking  turns  in  the  per- 
formance, all  which  did  not  fail  to  create  among  them 
never-ceasing  merriment  and  laughter.  Neither  their  want 
of  food  and  fuel,  nor  the  uncertain  prospect  of  obtaining 
any  that  night,  were  sufficient  to  deprive  these  poor  crea- 
tures of  that  cheerfulness  and  good  humor  which  it  seems 
at  all  times  their  peculiar  happiness  to  enjoy. 

The  night  proved  very  thick  with  small  snow,  and  as 
disagreeable  and  dangerous  for  people  adrift  upon  floating 
ice  as  can  well  be  imagined.  If  the  women,  however,  gave 
their  husbands  a  thought  or  spoke  of  them  to  us,  it  was 
only  to  express  a  very  sincere  hope  that  some  good  news 
might  shortly  arrive  of  their  success.  Our  singing  party 
had  not  long  been  broken  up  when  it  was  suddenly  an- 
nounced by  one  of  the  children,  the  usual  heralds  on  such 


200  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Parry 

occasions,  that  the  men  had  killed  something  on  the  ice. 
The  only  two  men  who  were  at  home  instantly  scrambled 
on  their  outer  jackets,  harnessed  their  dogs,  and  set  off  to 
assist  their  companions  in  bringing  home  the  game,  while 
the  women  remained  for  an  hour  in  anxious  suspense  as  to 
the  extent  of  their  husbands'  success.  At  length  one  of 
the  men  arrived  with  the  positive  intelligence  of  two  wal- 
ruses having  been  taken,  and  brought  with  him  a  portion 
of  these  huge  animals  as  large  as  he  could  drag  over  the 
snow. 

If  the  women  were  only  cheerful  before,  they  were  now 
absolutely  frantic.  A  general  shout  of  joy  instantly  re- 
echoed through  the  village;  they  ran  into  each  other's 
huts  to  communicate  the  welcome  intelligence,  and  actually 
hugged  one  another  in  an  ecstasy  of  delight  by  way  of 
congratulation.  One  of  them,  Arnalooa,  a  pretty  young 
woman  of  nineteen  or  twenty,  knowing  that  a  dog  belong- 
ing to  her  husband  was  still  at  the  huts,  and  that  there  was 
no  man  to  take  him  down  on  the  ice,  ran  out  instantly  to 
perform  that  office ;  and,  with  a  hardiness  not  to  be  sur- 
passed by  any  of  the  men,  returned  after  two  hours'  ab- 
sence, with  her  load  of  walrus-flesh,  and  without  even  the 
hood  thrown  over  her  head  to  protect  her  from  the  in- 
clemency of  the  weather. 

When  the  first  burst  of  joy  had  at  length  subsided,  the 
women  crept  one  by  one  into  the  apartment  where  the  first 
portion  of  the  sea-horses  had  been  conveyed,  and  which  is 
always  that  of  one  of  the  men  immediately  concerned  in 
the  killing  of  them.  Here  they  obtained  blubber  enough 
to  set  all  their  lamps  alight,  besides  a  few  scraps  of  meat 
for  their  children  and  themselves.  From  this  time,  which 
was  nine  o'clock,  till  past  midnight  fresh  cargoes  were  con- 
tinually arriving,  the  principal  part  being  brought  in  by 
the  dogs,  and  the  rest  by  the  men,  who,  tying  the  thong 


Parry]  LIFE  AMONG   THE  ESQUIMAUX.  201 

which  held  it  round  their  waist,  dragged  in  each  his  sepa- 
rate portion.  Before  the  whole  was  brought  in,  however, 
some  of  them  went  out  three  times  to  the  scene  of  action, 
though  the  distance  was  a  mile  and  a  half. 

Every  lamp  now  swimming  with  oil,  the  huts  exhibited 
a  blaze  of  light,  and  never  was  there  a  scene  of  more  joyous 
festivity  than  while  the  operation  of  cutting  up  the  Aval- 
ruses  continued.  I  took  the  opportunity  which  their  pres- 
ent good  humor  afforded  to  obtain  a  perfect  head  and  tusks 
of  one  of  these  animals,  which  we  had  not  been  able  to  do 
before ;  and  indeed,  so  much  were  their  hearts  opened  by 
the  scene  of  abundance  before  them,  that  I  believe  they 
would  have  given  us  anything  we  asked  for.  This  dispo- 
sition was  considerably  increased,  also,  by  their  taking  it 
into  their  heads  that  their  success  was  in  some  way  or 
other  connected  with,  or  even  owing  to,  our  having  taken 
up  our  night's  lodging  at  the  huts. 

After  viewing  all  this  festivity  for  some  time,  I  felt 
disposed  to  rest,  and  wrapping  myself  up  in  my  fur  coat, 
laid  down  on  one  of  the  beds  which  Illumea  had  given 
up  for  our  accommodation,  as  well  as  her  keipik,  or  large 
deer-skin  blanket,  which  she  had  rolled  up  for  my  pillow. 
The  poor  old  woman  herself  sat  up  by  her  lamp,  and  in 
that  posture  seemed  perfectly  well  satisfied  to  doze  away 
the  night.  The  singularity  of  my  night's  lodging  made 
me  awake  several  times,  when  I  always  found  some  of  the 
Esquimaux  eating,  though  after  we  lay  down  they  kept 
quiet  for  fear  of  disturbing  us.  Mr.  Halse,  who  was  still 
more  wakeful,  told  me  that  some  of  them  were  incessantly 
employed  in  this  manner  for  more  than  three  hours.  In- 
deed, the  quantity  of  meat  that  they  thus  contrive  to  get 
rid  of  is  almost  beyond  belief. 

Having  at  length  enjoyed  a  sound  nap,  I  found  on 
awaking  about  five  o'clock  that  the  men  were  already  up, 


202  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Parrt 

and  had  gone  out  to  resume  their  labors  on  the  ice,  so  that 
several  of  them  could  not  have  rested  more  than  two  or 
three  hours.     This  circumstance  served  to  correct  a  notion 
we  had  entertained,  that  when  once  abundantly  supplied 
with  food  they  took  no  pains  to  obtain  more  till  want 
began  again  to  stare  them  in  the  face.     It  was  now  more 
pleasing  to  be  assured  that,  even  in  the  midst  of  plenty, 
they  did  not  indolently  give  themselves  up  to  repose,  but  - 
were  willing  to  take  advantage  of  every  favorable  oppor- 
tunity of  increasing  their  store.     It  is  certain,  indeed,  that 
were  these  people  more  provident  (or,  in  other  words,  less 
gluttonous,  for  they  do  not  waste  much),  they  might  never 
know  what  it  is  to  want  provisions,  even  during  the  most 
inclement  part  of  the  year.     The  state  of  the  ice  was 
to-day  very  unfavorable  for  their  purpose,  being  broken 
into  pieces  so  small  that  they  could  scarcely  venture  to 

walk  upon  it.  .  .  . 

The  morning  of  the  5th  proved  favorable  for  a  journey 
I  had  in  contemplation  to  the  distant  huts,  to  which  Ilig- 
liuk,  who  had  come  to  Winter  Island  the  day  before,  prom- 
ised' to  be  my  guide.  At  six  o'clock  I  set  out,  accompa- 
nied by  Mr.  Bushman  and  two  of  the  men,  carrying  with 
us  a  supply  of  bread-dust,  besides  our  own  provisions  and 
blankets.  As  the  distance  was  too  great  for  her  son  Siout- 
kuk  to  walk,  we  were  uncertain  till  the  moment  of  setting 
out  how  this  was  to  be  managed,  there  being  no  sledge  at 
hand  for  the  purpose.  We  found,  however,  that  a  man, 
whom  we  had  observed  for  some  time  at  work  among  the 
hummocks  of  ice  upon  the  beach,  had  been  employed  in 
cutting  out  of  that  abundant  material  a  neat  and  service- 
able little  sledge,  hollowed  like  a  bowl  or  tray  out  of  a 
solid  block,  and  smoothly  rounded  at  the  bottom.  The 
thongs  to  which  the  dogs  were  attached  were  secured  to  a 
groove  cut  around  its  upper  edge;   and  the  young  seal- 


Pakrt]  LIFE  AMONG   THE  ESQUIMAUX.  203 

catcher,  seated  in  this  simple  vehicle,  was  dragged  along 
with  great  convenience  and  comfort. 

The  ice  over  which  we  travelled  was  a  level  floe  that  had 
never  suffered  disturbance  since  its  first  formation  in  the 
autumn,  and  with  not  more  than  an  inch  and  a  half  of 
snow  upon  it.  The  path  being  distinctly  marked  out  by 
the  people,  sledges,  and  dogs  that  had  before  travelled  upon 
it,  one  might,  without  any  great  stretch  of  the  imagina- 
tion, have  almost  fancied  it  a  road  leading  over  a  level  and 
extensive  heath  towards  a  more  civilized  and  substantial 
village  than  that  which  we  were  now  approaching.  Ilig- 
liuk  walked  as  nimbly  as  the  best  of  us ;  and  after  two 
hours  and  a  half  brisk  travelling  we  arrived  at  the  huts, 
and  were  received  by  the  women  (for  all  the  men  were 
absent)  with  every  expression  of  kindness  and  welcome. 
Each  was  desirous  of  affording  us  lodging,  and  we  had 
speedily  arranged  matters  so  as  to  put  them  to  the  least 
possible  inconvenience. 

These  huts,  four  in  number,  were  in  the  mode  of  their 
construction  exact  counterparts  of  those  at  Winter  Island 
on  our  first  visit,  but,  being  now  new  and  clean,  presented 
a  striking  contrast  with  the  latter,  in  their  present  disor- 
dered and  filthy  state.  What  gave  a  peculiarity,  as  well 
as  beauty  also,  to  the  interior  appearance  of  these  habita- 
tions, was  their  being  situated  on  the  ice,  which,  being 
cleared  of  the  snow,  presented  a  flooring  of  that  splondid 
blue  which  is,  perhaps,  one  of  the  richest  colors  that  nature 
affords.  A  seal  or  two  having  been  lately  procured,  every 
lamp  was  now  blazing,  and  every  ootkooseth  smoking  with 
a  hot  mess  which,  together  with  the  friendly  reception  we 
experienced  and  a  little  warmth  and  fatigue  from  travel- 
ling, combined  in  conveying  to  our  minds  an  idea  of  com- 
fort which  we  could  scarcely  believe  an  Esquimaux  hut 
capable  of  exciting. 


204  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Parry 

On  the  arrival  of  the  men,  who  came  in  towards  even- 
ing, with  two  seals  as  the  reward  of  their  labor,  we  were 
once  more  greeted  and  welcomed.  Arnaneelia  in  particular, 
who  was  a  quiet,  obliging,  and  even  amiable,  man,  was  de- 
lighted to  find  that  my  quarters  were  to  be  in  his  apart- 
ment, where  Aneetka,  his  wife,  a  young  woman  of  about 
twenty-three,  had  already  arranged  everything  for  my  ac- 
commodation ;  and  both  these  poor  people  now  vied  with 
each  other  in  their  attention  to  my  comfort.  The  other 
two  apartments  of  the  same  hut  were  occupied  by  Kaoon- 
gut  and  Okotook,  with  their  respective  wives  and  families, 
it  being  the  constant  custom  of  these  people  thus  to  unite 
in  family  groups  whenever  the  nature  of  their  habitations 
will  allow  it.  Mr.  Bushman  being  established  with  Oko- 
took, and  the  two  men  with  Kaoongut,  we  were  thus  all 
comfortably  lodged  under  the  same  roof.  .  .  . 

On  the  22d  a  number  of  the  Esquimaux  came  to  the 
ships  with  a  sledge,  and  among  the  rest  my  late  host  Arna- 
neelia and  his  wife,  the  latter  having  the  front  of  her  jacket 
adorned  with  numberless  strings  of  beads  that  we  had 
given  ber,  arranged  with  exact  uniformity,  to  which,  in 
the  fashion  of  their  dresses  and  the  disposition  of  their  or- 
naments, these  people  always  rigidly  adhere.  Aneetka  had 
scarcely  reached  the  cabin  when  she  produced  a  little  ivory 
comb  and  a  pair  of  handsome  mittens,  which  she  presented 
to  Mr.  Edwards,  at  the  same  time  thanking  him  for  the 
attention  he  had  shown  her  on  an  occasion  when  she  had 
been  taken  in  a  fit  alongside  the  "  Fury,"  from  which  she 
was  recovered  by  bleeding.  This  expression  of  gratitude, 
in  which  she  was  heartily  joined  by  her  husband,  was  ex- 
tremely gratifying  to  us,  as  it  served  in  some  degree  to 
redeem  these  people  in  our  estimation  from  the  imputa- 
tion of  ingratitude  which  is  indeed  one  of  their  greatest 
failings. 


Parry]  LIFE  AMONG   THE  ESQUIMAUX.  205 

They  stated  having  seen  two  reindeer  the  preceding  day 
going  over  the  ice  to  the  mainland.  They  spoke  of  this 
with  great  pleasure,  and  we  were  ourselves  not  displeased 
with  the  prospect  of  changing  our  diet  for  a  little  venison. 
They  now  became  extremely  urgent  with  us  for  wood  to 
make  bows  and  arrows,  most  of  their  own  having,  with 
the  childishness  that  accompanied  their  first  barterings, 
been  parted  with  to  our  officers  and  men.  Having  several 
broken  oars  which  could  be  turned  to  little  or  no  account 
on  board,  we  were  enabled,  at  a  small  expense  of  useful 
siores,  to  furnish  them  very  abundantly  with  wood  for  this 
purpose.  Arnaneelia  also  informed  us  that  Okotook,  who 
had  been  unwell  for  some  days,  was  now  much  worse,  and 
heemed,  as  he  described  it,  to  be  laboring  under  a  violent 
pulmonary  complaint.  On  the  circumstance  being  men- 
tioned to  Mr.  Skeoch,  he  kindly  volunteered  to  go  to  the 
village,  and  accordingly  took  his  seat  on  the  sledge,  accom- 
panied also  by  Mr.  Sherer.  They  carried  with  them  a 
quantity  of  bread-dust  to  be  distributed  among  the  Esqui- 
maux at  the  huts,  their  success  in  seal-catching  having 
lately  been  indifferent.  .  .  . 

In  digging  up  the  piece  of  ground  for  our  garden,  we 
found  an  incredible  quantity  of  bones  scattered  about  and 
concealed  under  the  little  soil  there  was.  They  were  prin- 
cipally those  of  walruses  and  seals,  and  had  evidently  been 
left  a  long  time  before  by  Esquimaux,  in  the  course  of 
their  wandering  visits  to  the  island,  being  gradually  cov- 
ered by  the  vegetable  mould  formed  upon  the  spot  which 
they  helped  to  fertilize.  Afterwards,  when  the  land  becamo 
more  clear  of  snow,  this  was  found  to  be  tho  case  to  a 
much  greater  extent,  every  spot  of  ground  upon  the  south- 
east point,  which  was  not  absolutely  a  rock,  being  covered 
with  these  relics.  Some  graves  were  also  discovered,  in 
one  of  which  were  a  human  skull,  apparently  a  hundred 

18 


206  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Kane: 

years  buried,  and  some  pieces  of  wood  that  had  probably 
been  parts  of  spears  or  arrows  almost  mouldered  to  dust. 
Knowing  as  we  do  the  antiseptic  properties  of  this  climate, 
animal  or  vegetable  substances  in  this  state  of  decay  convey 
to  the  mind  an  idea  of  much  greater  age  than  they  would 
in  any  other  part  of  the  world. 

[Escape  from  their  winter  quarters  was  not  accomplished  till  the 
1st  of  July,  they  having  been  for  nine  months  frozen  in  the  ice.] 


FUGITIVES  FROM  THE  ARCTIC  SEAS. 

ELISHA   KENT   KANE. 

[Of  all  works  of  travel  in  the  Arctic  seas,  none  have  attracted  more 
attention  than  Dr.  Kane's  "Arctic  Explorations,"  an  attractively 
written  journal  of  hardship  and  adventure  that  had  the  interest  of  a 
romance  to  most  readers.  The  expedition  ended  in  the  enforced  aban- 
donment of  the  ship  and  a  long  boat  journey  over  the  ice,  in  which 
the  adventurers  experienced  many  perils  and  suffered  much  from 
hunger.     "We  give  the  concluding  incidents  of  this  journey.  J 

It  was  the  18th  of  July  before  the  aspects  of  the  ice 
about  us  gave  me  hope  of  progress.  We  had  prepared 
ourselves  for  the  new  encounter  with  the  sea  and  its  trials 
by  laying  in  a  store  of  lumme  [an  Arctic  bird],  two  hundred 
and  fifty  of  which  had  been  duly  skinned,  spread  open,  and 
dried  on  the  rocks  as  the  entremets  of  our  bread-dust  and 
tallow. 

My  journal  tells  of  disaster  in  its  record  of  our  setting 
out.  In  launching  the  "  Hope"  from  the  frail  and  perishing 
ice- wharf  on  which  we  found  our  first  refuge  from  the  gale, 
she  was  precipitated  into  the  sludge  below,  carrying  away 
rail  and  bulwark,  losing  overboard  our  best  shot-gun,  Bon- 


Kane]       FUGITIVES  FROM  THE  ARCTIC  SEAS.  207 

sail's  favorite,  and,  worst  of  all,  that  universal  favorite,  our 
kettle, — soup-kettle,  paste-kettle,  tea-kettle,  water-kettle,  in 
one.  I  may  mention  before  I  pass  that  the  kettle  found  its 
substitute  and  successor  in  the  remains  of  a  tin  can  which  a 
good  aunt  of  mine  had  filled  with  ginger-nuts  two  years 
before,  and  which  had  long  survived  the  condiments  that 
once  gave  it  dignity.     "  Such  are  the  uses  of  adversity." 

Our  descent  to  the  coast  followed  the  margin  of  the  fast 
ice.  After  passing  the  Crimson  Cliffs  of  Sir  John  Ross  it 
wore  almost  the  dress  of  a  holiday  excursion, — a  rude  one, 
perhaps,  yet  truly  one  in  feeling.  Our  course,  except 
where  a  protruding  glacier  interfered  with  it,  was  nearly 
parallel  to  the  shore.  The  birds  along  it  were  rejoicing  in 
the  young  summer,  and  when  we  halted  it  was  upon  some 
green-clothed  cape  near  a  stream  of  water  from  the  ice- 
fields above.  Our  sportsman  would  clamber  up  the  cliffs 
and  come  back  laden  with  little  auks ;  great  generous  fires 
of  turf,  that  cost  nothing  but  the  toil  of  gathering,  blazed 
merrily ;  and  our  happy  oarsmen,  after  a  long  day's  work, 
made  easy  by  the  promise  ahead,  would  stretch  themselves 
in  the  sunshine  and  dream  happily  away  till  called  to  the 
morning  wash  and  prayers.  We  enjoyed  it  the  more,  for 
we  all  of  us  knew  that  it  could  not  last. 

This  coast  must  have  been  a  favorite  region  at  one  time 
with  the  natives, — a  sort  of  Esquimaux  Eden.  We  seldom 
encamped  without  finding  the  ruins  of  their  habitations, 
for  the  most  part  overgrown  with  lichens,  and  exhibiting 
every  mark  of  antiquity.  One  of  these,  in  latitude  7G° 
20',  was  once,  no  doubt,  an  extensive  village.  Cairns  for 
the  safe  deposit  of  meat  stood  in  long  lines,  six  or  eight  in 
a  group;  and  the  huts,  built  of  large  rocks,  faced  each 
other,  as  if  disposed  on  a  street  or  avenue. 

The  same  reasoning  which  deduces  the  subsidence  of  the 
coast  from  the  actual  base  of  the  Temple  of  Serapis,  proves 


208  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Kane 

that  the  depression  of  the  Greenland  coast,  which  I  had 
detected  as  far  north  as  Upernavik,  is  also  going  on  up 
here.  Some  of  these  huts  were  washed  by  the  sea  or  torn 
away  by  the  ice  that  had  descended  with  the  tides.  The 
turf,  too,  a  representative  of  very  ancient  growth,  was  cut 
even  with  the  water's  edge,  giving  sections  two  feet  thick. 
I  had  not  noticed  before  such  unmistakable  evidence  of  the 
depression  of  this  coast :  its  converse  elevation  I  had  ob- 
served to  the  north  of  Wostenholme  Sound.  The  axis  of 
oscillation  must  be  somewhere  in  the  neighborhood  of 
latitude  77°. 

We  reached  Cape  York  on  the  21st,  after  a  tortuous  but 
romantic  travel  through  a  misty  atmosphere.  Here  the 
land-leads  ceased,  with  the  exception  of  some  small  and 
scarcely  practicable  openings  near  the  shore,  which  were 
evidently  owing  to  the  wind  that  prevailed  for  the  time. 
Everything  bore  proof  of  the  late  development  of  the 
season.  The  red  snow  was  a  fortnight  behind  its  time.  A 
fast  floe  extended  with  numerous  tongues  far  out  to  the 
south  and  east.  The  only  question  was  between  a  new 
rest,  for  the  shore-ices  to  open,  or  a  desertion  of  the  coast 
and  a  trial  of  the  open  water  to  the  west. 

[They  had  at  this  time  hut  thirty-six  pounds  of  food  per  man  and 
fuel  enough  to  last  them  three  weeks.] 

I  climbed  the  rocks  a  second  time  with  Mr.  McGary, 
and  took  a  careful  survey  of  the  ice  with  my  glass.  The 
"  fast,"  as  the  whalers  call  the  immovable  shore-ice,  could 
be  seen  in  a  nearly  unbroken  sweep,  passing  by  Bushnell's 
Island,  and  joining  the  coast  not  far  from  where  I  stood. 
The  outside  floes  were  large,  and  had  evidently  been  not 
long  broken  ;  but  it  cheered  my  heart  to  see  that  there  was 
one  well  defined  lead  which  followed  the  main  floe  until  it 
lost  itself  to  seaward. 


Kane]       FUGITIVES  FROM   THE  ARCTIC  SEAS.  209 

I  called  my  officers  together,  explained  to  them  the 
motives  which  governed  me,  and  prepared  to  re-embark. 
The  boats  were  hauled  up,  examined  carefully,  and,  as  far 
as  our  means  permitted,  repaired.  The  "  Red  Eric"  was 
stripped  of  her  outfit  and  cargo,  to  be  broken  up  for  fuel 
when  the  occasion  should  come.  A  large  beacon-cairn  was 
built  on  an  eminence,  open  to  view  from  the  south  and  west, 
and  a  red  flannel  shirt,  spared  with  some  reluctance,  was 
hoisted  as  a  pennant  to  draw  attention  to  the  spot.  Here 
I  deposited  a  succinct  record  of  our  condition  and  purposes, 
and  then  directed  our  course  south  by  west  into  the  ice- 
fields. 

By  degrees  the  ice  through  which  we  were  moving  be- 
came more  and  more  impacted,  and  it  sometimes  required 
all  our  ice-knowledge  to  determine  whether  a  particular 
lead  was  practicable  or  not.  The  irregularities  of  the  sur- 
face, broken  by  hummocks,  and  occasionally  by  larger 
masses,  made  it  difficult  to  see  far  ahead,  besides  which 
we  were  often  embarrassed  bjr  the  fogs.  I  was  awakened 
one  evening  from  a  weary  sleep  in  my  fox-skins  to  dis- 
cover that  we  had  fairly  lost  our  way.  The  officer  at  the 
helm  of  the  leading  boat,  misled  by  the  irregular  shape  of 
a  large  iceberg  that  crossed  his  track,  had  lost  the  main 
lead  some  time  before,  and  was  steering  shoreward,  far  out 
of  the  true  course.  The  little  canal  in  which  he  had  locked 
us  was  hardly  two  boats' -lengths  across,  and  lost  itself  not 
far  off  in  a  feeble  zigzag  both  behind  and  before  us ;  it  was 
evidently  closing,  and  we  could  not  retreat. 

Without  apprising  the  men  of  our  misadventure,  I  or- 
dered the  boats  hauled  up,  and,  under  pretence  of  drying 
the  clothing  and  stores,  made  a  camp  on  the  ice.  A  few 
hours  after  the  weather  cleared  enough  for  the  first  time 
to  allow  a  view  of  the  distance,  and  McGary  and  myself 
climbed  a  berg  some  three  hundred  feet  high  for  the  pur- 
i.— o  18* 


210  HALF-HOURS  OF   TRAVEL.  [Kanb 

pose.  It  was  truly  fearful ;  we  were  deep  in  the  recesses 
of  the  bay,  surrounded  on  all  sides  by  stupendous  icebergs 
and  tangled  floe-pieces.  My  sturdy  second  officer,  not  nat- 
urally impressible,  and  long  accustomed  to  the  vicissitudes 
of  whaling  life,  shed  tears  at  the  prospect. 

There  was  one  thing  to  be  done :  cost  what  it  might,  we 
must  harness  our  sledges  again  and  retrace  our  way  to  the 
westward.  One  sledge  had  been  already  used  for  firewood; 
the  "  Red  Eric,"  to  which  it  had  belonged,  was  now  cut  up, 
and  her  light  cedar  planking  laid  upon  the  floor  of  the 
other  boats,  and  we  went  to  work  with  the  rue-raddies  as 
in  the  olden  time.  It  was  not  till  the  third  toilsome  day 
was  well  spent  that  we  reached  the  berg  that  had  bewil- 
dered our  helmsman.  We  hauled  over  its  tongue  and  joy- 
ously embarked  again  upon  a  free  lead,  with  a  fine  breeze 
from  the  north. 

Our  little  squadron  was  now  reduced  to  two  boats.  The 
land  to  the  northward  was  no  longer  visible,  and  whenever 
I  left  the  margin  of  the  fast  to  avoid  its  deep  sinuosities,  I 
was  obliged  to  trust  entirely  to  the  compass.  We  had  at 
least  eight  days'  allowance  of  fuel  on  board  ;  but  our  pro- 
visions were  running  very  low,  and  we  met  few  birds,  and 
failed  to  secure  any  larger  game.  We  saw  several  large 
seals  upon  the  ice,  but  they  were  too  watchful  for  us;  and 
on  two  occasions  we  came  upon  the  walrus  sleoping,  once 
within  actual  lance-thrust;  but  the  animal  charged  in  the 
teeth  of  his  assailant  and  made  good  his  retreat. 

On  the  28th  I  instituted  a  quiet  review  of  the  state  of 
things  before  us.  Our  draft  on  the  stores  we  had  laid  in 
at  Providence  Halt  had  been  limited  for  some  days  to  three 
raw  eggs  and  two  breasts  of  birds  a  day,  but  we  had  a 
small  ration  of  bread-dust  besides ;  and  when  we  halted,  as 
we  did  regularly  for  meals,  our  fuel  allowed  us  to  indulge 
lavishly  in  the  great  panacea  of  Arctic  travel,  tea.     The 


H 
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1     f  ■ 

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8 

1 

1                     1 

H 

t.  j  >3S  -iSL&j 

Kane]       FUGITIVES  FROM  THE  ARCTIC  SEAS.  211 

men's  strength  was  waning  under  this  restricted  diet,  but 
a  careful  reckoning  up  of  our  remaining  supplies  proved 
to  me  now  that  even  this  was  more  than  we  could  afford 
ourselves  without  an  undue  reliance  on  the  fortunes  of  the 
hunt.  Our  next  land  was  to  be  Cape  Shackleton,  one  of 
the  most  prolific  bird-colonies  of  the  coast,  which  we  were 
all  looking  to,  much  as  sailors  nearing  home  in  their  boats 
after  disaster  and  short  allowance  at  sea.  But,  meting  out 
our  stores  through  the  number  of  days  that  must  elapse 
before  we  could  expect  to  share  its  hospitable  welcome,  I 
found  that  five  ounces  of  bread-dust,  four  of  tallow,  and 
three  of  bird-meat  must  from  this  time  form  our  daily 
ration. 

So  far  we  had  generally  coasted  the  fast  ice  ;  it  had  given 
us  an  occasional  resting-place  and  refuge,  and  we  were  able 
sometimes  to  reinforce  our  stores  of  provisions  by  our  guns. 
But  it  made  our  progress  tediously  slow,  and  our  stock  of 
small  shot  was  so  nearly  exhausted  that  I  was  convinced 
our  safety  depended  on  increase  of  speed.  I  determined 
to  try  the  more  open  sea. 

For  the  first  two  days  the  experiment  was  a  failure.  We 
were  surrounded  by  heavy  fogs;  a  southwest  wind  brought 
the  outside  pack  upon  us,  and  obliged  us  to  haul  up  on  the 
drifting  ice.  We  were  thus  carried  to  the  northward,  and 
lost  about  twenty  miles.  My  party,  much  overworked,  felt 
despondingly  the  want  of  the  protection  of  the  land-floes. 

Nevertheless,  I  held  to  my  purpose,  steering  south-south- 
west as  nearly  as  the  leads  would  admit,  and  looking  con- 
stantly for  the  thinning  out  of  the  pack  that  hangs  around 
the  western  water. 

Although  the  low  diet  and  exposure  to  wet  had  again 
reduced  our  party,  there  was  no  apparent  relaxation  of 
energy,  and  it  was  not  until  some  days  later  that  I  found 
their  strength  seriously  giving  way. 


212  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Kane 

It  is  a  little  curious  that  the  effect  of  a  short  allowance 
of  food  does  not  show  itself  in  hunger.     The  first  symp- 
tom is  a  loss  of  power,  often  so  imperceptibly  brought  on 
that  it  becomes  evident  only  by  an  accident.     I  well  re- 
member our  look  of  blank  amazement  as,  one  day,  the 
order  being  given  to  haul  the  »  Hope"  over  a  tongue  of  ice, 
we  found  she  would  not  budge.     At  first  I  thought  it  was 
owing  to  the  wetness  of  the  snow-covered  surface  in  which 
her  runners  were  ;  but,  as  there  was  a  heavy  gale  blowing 
outside,  and  I  was  extremely  anxious  to  get  her  onto  a 
lai-er  floe  to  prevent  being  drifted  off,  I  lightened  her 
cargo  and  set  both  crews  upon  her.     In  the  land  of  prom- 
ise  off  Crimson  Cliffs  such  a  force  would  have  trundled 
her  like  a  wheelbarrow:  we  could  almost  have  borne  her 
upon  our  backs.     Now  with  incessant  labor  and  standing 
hauls  she  moved  at  a  snail's  pace. 

The  "  Faith"  was  left  behind  and  barely  escaped  destruc- 
tion     The  outside  pressure  cleft  the  floe  asunder,  and  we 
saw  our  best  boat  with  all  our  stores  drifting  rapidly  away 
from  us      The  sight  produced  an  almost  hysterical  im- 
pression upon  our  party.     Two  days  of  want  of  bread,  I 
am  sure,  would  have  destroyed  us ;  and  we  had  now  left 
us  but  eight  pounds  of  shot  in  all.     To  launch  the  «  Hope 
a-ain,  and  rescue  her  comrade  or  share  her  fortunes,  would 
have  been  the  instinct  of  other  circumstances ;  but  it  was 
out  of  the  question  now.     Happily,  before  we  had  time  to 
ponder  our  loss  a  flat  cake  of  ice  eddied  round  near  the 
floe  we  were  upon;  McGary  and  myself  sprang  to  it  at 
the  moment,  and  succeeded  in  floating  it  across  the  chasm 
in  time  to  secure  her.     The  rest  of  the  crew  rejoined  her 
only  by  scrambling  over  the  crushed  ice  as  we  brought  her 
in  at  the  hummock-lines. 

Things  grew  worse  and  worse  with  us ;  the  old  difficulty 
of  breathing  came  back  again,  and  our  feet  swelled  to  such 


Kane]        FUGITIVES  FROM   THE  ARCTIC  SEAS.  213 

an  extent  that  we  were  obliged  to  cut  open  our  canvas 
boots.  But  the  symptom  which  gave  me  most  uneasiness 
was  our  inability  to  sleep.  A  form  of  low  fever  which 
hung  by  us  when  at  work  had  been  kept  down  by  the 
thoroughness  of  our  daily  rest;  all  my  hopes  of  escape 
were  in  the  refreshing  influences  of  the  halt. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  we  were  now  in  the  open 
bay,  in  the  full  line  of  the  great  ice-drift  to  the  Atlantic, 
and  in  boats  so  frail  and  unseaworthy  as  to  require  con- 
stant baling  to  keep  them  afloat. 

It  was  at  this  crisis  of  our  fortunes  that  we  saw  a  large 
seal  floating — as  is  the  custom  of  these  animals — on  a 
small  patch  of  ice,  and  seemingly  asleep.  It  was  an  ussuk, 
and  so  large  that  I  at  first  mistook  it  for  a  walrus.  Signal 
was  made  for  the  "  Hope"  to  follow  astern,  and,  trembling 
with  anxiety,  we  prepared  to  crawl  down  upon  him. 

Petersen,  with  the  large  English  rifle,  was  stationed  in 
the  bow,  and  stockings  were  drawn  over  the  oars  as 
mufflers.  As  we  neared  the  animal  our  excitement  became 
so  intense  that  the  men  could  hardry  keep  stroke.  I  had 
a  set  of  signals  for  such  occasions  which  spared  us  the 
noise  of  the  voice ;  and  when  about  three  hundred  yards 
off  the  oars  were  taken  in,  and  we  moved  in  deep  silence 
with  a  single  scull  astern. 

He  was  not  asleep,  for  he  reared  his  head  Avhen  we  were 
almost  within  rifle-shot ;  and  to  this  day  I  can  remember 
the  hard,  careworn,  almost  despairing  expression  of  the 
men's  thin  faces  as  they  saw  him  move;  their  lives 
depended  on  his  capture. 

I  depressed  my  hand  nervously,  as  a  signal  for  Petersen 
to  fire.  McGary  hung  upon  his  oar,  and  the  boat,  slowly 
but  noiselessly  sagging  ahead,  seemed  to  me  within  certain 
range.  Looking  at  Petersen,  I  saw  that  the  poor  fellow 
was  paralyzed  by  his  anxiety,  trying  vainly  to  obtain  a 


214  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Kane 

rest  for  his  gun  against  the  cut- water  of  the  boat.  The 
seal  rose  on  his  fore-flippers,  gazed  at  us  for  a  moment  with 
frightened  curiosity,  and  coiled  himself  for  a  plunge.  At 
that  instant,  simultaneously  with  the  crack  of  our  rifle,  he 
relaxed  his  long  length  on  the  ice,  and,  at  the  very  brink 
of  the  water,  his  head  fell  helpless  to  one  side. 

I  would  have  ordered  another  shot,  but  no  discipline 
could  have  controlled  the  men.  With  a  wild  yell,  each 
vociferating  according  to  his  own  impulse,  the}7- urged  both 
boats  upon  the  floes.  A  crowd  of  hands  seized  the  seal 
and  bore  him  up  to  safer  ice.  The  men  seemed  half  crazy ; 
I  had  not  realized  how  much  we  were  reduced  by  absolute 
famine.  They  ran  over  the  floe  crying  and  laughing  and 
brandishing  their  knives.  It  was  not  five  minutes  before 
every  man  was  sucking  his  bloody  fingers  or  mouthing 
long  strips  of  raw  blubber. 

Not  an  ounce  of  this  seal  was  lost.  The  intestines  found 
their  way  into  the  soup-kettles  without  any  observances  of 
the  preliminary  home  processes.  The  cartilaginous  parts 
of  the  fore-flippers  were  cut  of  in  the  melee  and  passed 
round  to  be  chewed  upon ;  and  even  the  liver,  warm  and 
raw  as  it  was,  bade  fair  to  be  eaten  before  it  had  seen  the 
pot.  That  night,  on  the  large  halting  floe,  to  which,  in 
contempt  of  the  dangers  of  drifting,  we  happy  men  had 
hauled  our  boats,  two  entire  planks  of  the  "  Red  Eric"  were 
devoted  to  a  grand  cooking-fire,  and  we  enjoyed  a  rare  and 
savage  feast. 

This  was  our  last  experience  of  the  disagreeable  effects 
of  hunger.  In  the  words  of  George  Stephenson,  "The 
charm  was  broken,  and  the  dogs  were  safe."  The  dogs  I 
have  said  little  about,  for  none  of  us  liked  to  think  of  them. 
The  poor  creatures  Toodla  and  Whitey  had  been  taken 
with  us  as  last  resources  against  starvation.  They  were, 
as  McGary  worded  it,  "  meat  on  the  hoof,"  and  "  able  to 


Kane]        FUGITIVES  FROM  THE  ARCTIC  SEAS.  215 

carry  their  own  fat  over  the  floes."  Once,  near  Weary 
Man's  Rest,  I  had  been  on  the  point  of  killing  them  ;  but 
they  had  been  the  leaders  of  our  winter's  team,  and  we 
could  not  bear  the  sacrifice. 

I  need  not  detail  our  journey  any  farther.  Within  a  day 
or  two  we  shot  another  seal,  and  from  that  time  forward 
had  a  full  supply  of  food.  .  .  .  Two  days  after  this,  a  mist 
had  settled  down  upon  the  islands  which  embayed  us,  and 
when  it  lifted  we  found  ourselves  rowing  in  lazy  time, 
under  the  shadow  of  Karkamoot.  Just  then  a  familiar 
sound  came  to  us  over  the  water.  We  had  often  listened 
to  the  screeching  of  the  gulls  or  the  bark  of  the  fox  and 
mistaken  it  for  the  "Huk"  of  the  Esquimaux,  but  this  had 
about  it  an  inflection  not  to  be  mistaken,  for  it  died  away 
in  the  familiar  cadence  of  an  "halloo." 

"  Listen,  Petersen  !  Oars,  men  !"  "  What  is  it  ?"  and  he 
listened  quietly  at  first,  and  then,  trembling,  said  in  a  half- 
whisper,  "Dannemarkers!" 

I  remember  this,  the  first  tone  of  Christian  voice  which 
had  greeted  our  return  to  the  world.  How  we  all  stood 
up  and  peered  into  the  distant  nooks ;  and  how  the  cry 
came  to  us  again,  just  as,  having  seen  nothing,  we  were 
doubting  whether  the  whole  was  not  a  dream  ;  and  then 
how,  with  long  sweeps,  the  white  ash  cracking  under  the 
spring  of  the  rowers,  we  stood  for  the  cape  that  the  sound 
proceeded  from,  and  how  nervously  we  scanned  the  green 
spots  which  our  experience,  grown  now  into  instinct,  told 
us  would  be  the  likely  camping-ground  of  wayfarers. 

By  and  by — for  we  must  have  been  pulling  a  good  half- 
hour — the  single  mast  of  a  small  shallop  showed  itself; 
and  Petersen,  who  had  been  very  quiet  and  grave,  burst 
into  an  incoherent  fit  of  crying,  only  relieved  by  broken 
exclamations  of  mingled  Danish  and  English.  "'Tis  the 
Upernavik   oil-boat!     The    'Fraulein    Flaischer!'      Carlie 


216  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Schley 

Mossyn,  tbe  assistant  cooper,  must  be  on  his  road  to  Kin- 
gatok  for  blubber.     The  '  Mariane'  (the  one  annual  ship) 

has  come,  and  Carlie  Mossyn "  and  here  he  did  it  all 

over  again,  gulping   down   his  words   and  wringing   his 

hands. 

It  was  Carlie  Mossyn,  sure  enough.  The  quiet  routine 
of  a  Danish  settlement  is  the  same  year  after  year,  and 
Petersen  had  hit  upon  the  exact  state  of  things.  The 
"  Mariane"  was  at  Proven,  and  Carlie  Mossyn  had  come 
up  in  the  "  Fraulein  Flaischer"  to  get  the  year's  supply  of 
blubber  from  Kingatok. 


RESCUED  FROM  DEATH. 

W.  S.  SCHLEY. 

[In  the  whole  history  of  Arctic  exploration  there  is  no  story  more 
replete  with  the  elements  of  tragedy  than  that  of  Lieutenant  A.  W. 
Greely  and  his  hrave  companions.  Sailing  to  the  far  north  in  1881  on 
a  scientific  expedition,  misfortune  overtook  the  party,  largely  due  to 
the  failure  of  the  relief  expeditions  of  1882  and  1883  to  reach  them. 
The  imperilled  navigators  left  their  vessel  and  made  their  way  down 
the  coast,  suffering  terribly  from  cold  and  hunger,  and  were  in  the 
throes  of  starvation  when  finally  rescued  by  the  relief  expedition  of 
1884.  Many  of  them  had  already  died,  and  but  a  perishing  remnant 
was  left  when  they  were  at  length  discovered  in  their  final  place  of 
refuge.  The  story  of  their  discovery  and  rescue,  as  told  by  Commander 
W.  S.  Schley  and  Professor  J.  R.  Soley,  in  their  "  Rescue  of  Greely," 
is  tragically  dramatic,  and  we  make  it  the  subject  of  our  present  selec- 
tion. The  relief  vessels,  the  "  Thetis"  and  the  "  Bear,"  examining  the 
coast  in  the  vicinity  of  Cape  York,  found  that  there  was  no  trace  of 
the  sufferers  at  Littleton  Island.  Thence  they  made  their  way  to 
Brevoprt  Island,  near  Cape  Sabine,  and  from  there  sent  out  four 
parties  to  examine  the  coast  in  different  directions.] 

It  was  intended  that,  as  soon  as  a  satisfactory  exam- 
ination had  been  made  and  a  depot  landed,  the  ships  should 


Schley]  RESCUED  FROM  DEATH.  217 

advance  without  delay  into  Kane  Sea.  There  was  no  ex- 
pectation of  finding  that  any  one  had  been  at  the  cape,  or 
that  the  cairns  or  caches  had  been  disturbed,  as  it  was  clear 
that  if  Greely  had  arrived  he  would  have  been  short  of  pro- 
visions, and  would  therefore  have  sought  to  obtain  those  at 
Littleton  Island  ;  and  nobody  could  have  imagined  for  a 
moment  that  with  prospective  starvation  on  one  side  of  the 
strait,  and  a  provision  depot  (although  a  small  one)  twenty- 
three  miles  off  on  the  other,  a  party  supplied  with  a  boat 
and  oars  would  have  preferred  the  former  alternative.  In 
fact,  at  the  time  the  cutter  started,  the  crew  of  the  "  Bear" 
were  getting  provisions  on  deck,  to  be  in  readiness  for  the 
sledge  journey  that  was  to  be  made  northward,  after  the 
ships  were  stopped  by  the  fast  ice.  As  the  cutter  left  the 
ship,  Colwell  picked  up  a  can  of  hard-tack  and  two  one- 
pound  cans  of  pemmican,  as  he  thought  that  his  party 
might  be  out  all  night,  and  a  little  of  something  to  eat 
would  not  go  amiss. 

Within  half  an  hour  after  the  first  parties  had  left  the 
ship  cheers  were  heard  above  the  roaring  of  the  wind. 
At  first  it  was  impossible  to  tell  from  what  quarter  the 
sound  proceeded,  but  soon  the  cheering  was  heard  a  second 
time  more  distinctly,  in  the  direction  of  Brevoort  Island. 
Almost  immediately  after,  Ensign  Harlow  was  observed 
signalling  from  Stalknecht  Island.  His  message  read, 
"  Have  found  Greely's  record  ;  send  five  men." 

Before  this  request  could  be  carried  out,  Yewell  was  seen 
running  over  the  ice  towards  the  ships,  and  a  few  minutes 
later  he  came  on  board,  almost  out  of  breath,  with  the  in- 
formation that  Lieutenant  Taunt  had  found  a  message 
from  Greely  in  the  cairn  on  Brevoort  Island.  Yewell 
brought  the  papers  with  him,  and  called  out,  as  he  gave 
them  to  the  officer  of  the  deck,  that  Greely's  party  were  at 
Cape  Sabine,  all  well.  The  excitement  of  the  moment  was 
k  19 


218  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Schley 

intense,  and  it  spread  with  the  rapidity  of  lightning  through 
both  the  ships.  It  was  decided  instantly  to  go  on  to  the 
Cape,  and  a  general  recall  was  sounded  by  three  long  blasts 
from  the  steam- whistle  of  the  "  Thetis." 

The  first  thing  to  be  done  before  taking  definite  action 
was  to  go  carefully  over  the  papers  that  Taunt  had  found. 
All  the  officers  who  had  remained  behind  in  the  two  ships 
gathered  around  the  wardroom  table  of  the  "Thetis,"  and 
the  records  were  hurriedly  read  aloud.  As  one  paper  after 
another  was  quickly  turned  over,  until  the  last  was  reached, 
it  was  discovered  with  horror  that  the  latest  date  borne  by 
any  of  them  was  October  21, 1883,  and  that  but  forty  days' 
complete  rations  were  left  to  live  upon.  Eight  months  had 
elapsed  since  then,  and  the  belief  was  almost  irresistible 
that  the  whole  party  must  have  perished  during  this  ter- 
rible period  of  waiting  and  watching  for  relief.  .  .  . 

It  was  a  wonderful  story.  It  told  how  the  expedition, 
during  its  two  years  at  Lady  Franklin  Bay,  had  marked 
out  the  interior  of  Grinnell  Land,  and  how  Lockwood  had 
followed  the  northern  shore  of  Greenland,  and  had  re- 
claimed for  America  the  honor  of  "  the  farthest  north." 
But  there  was  no  time  now  to  think  of  what  the  expe- 
dition had  accomplished;  that  was  already  a  matter  of 
history.  The  pressing  question  was,  Where  was  Greely'a 
party  now?  and  to  that  question  it  was  too  probable  that 
there  was  but  one  answer. 

The  records  had  named  the  wreck-cache  as  the  site  of 
Greely's  camp,  and  preparations  were  made  at  once  to  go 
there.  The  cutter,  with  Colwell  and  his  party  on  board, 
had  not  yet  got  away,  having  been  stopped  by  the  cries 
from  the  shore,  and  she  now  steamed  back  under  the  stern 
of  the  "  Thetis."  Colwell  was  directed  to  go  to  the  site  of 
the  cache  and  look  for  the  explorers ;  and  if  any  were  alive, 
—of  which  the  record  gave  little  hope— to  tell  them  that 


Schley]  RESCUED  FROM  DEATH.  219 

relief  was  close  at  hand.  As  he  "was  about  to  leave,  he 
called  out  for  a  boat-flag,  and  one  was  thrown  to  him  from 
the  ship.  This  was  bent  on  a  boat-hook  and  set  up  in  the 
stern  of  the  boat. 

Before  the  cutter  had  disappeared  to  the  northward  the 
commander  of  the  expedition  had  gone  on  board  the 
"  Bear,"  and  the  ship  was  under  wa}7,  following  the  track 
of  the  cutter  around  the  cape.  The  detachment  under 
Harlow,  which  had  found  Greely's  scientific  recoi'ds  and 
instruments  on  Stalknecht  Island,  and  the  other  party 
under  Melville,  some  of  whom  had  not  yet  returned,  were 
to  come  after  in  the  "  Thetis,"  wThich  was  left  behind  to 
pick  them  up.  The  passage  which  the  ships  and  the  cut- 
ter were  to  make  was  about  six  miles,  although  from  Payer 
Harbor  to  the  wreck-cache,  in  a  straight  line,  across  the 
rugged  neck  of  intervening  land,  it  was  less  than  half  that 
distance.  Fortunately,  the  southerly  gale  had  set  the  ice 
off  shore  into  Kane  Sea,  leaving  a  clear  passage  around  for 
the  vessels. 

It  was  half-past  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening  as  the  cut- 
ter steamed  around  the  rocky  bluff  of  Cape  Sabine  and 
made  her  way  to  the  cove,  four  miles  farther  on,  which 
Colwell  remembered  so  well  from  his  hurried  landing  with 
the  stores  on  the  terrible  night  following  the  wreck  of  the 
"  Proteus."  The  storm,  which  had  been  raging  with  only 
slight  intervals  since  earby  the  day  before,  still  kept  up, 
and  the  wind  was  driving  in  bitter  gusts  through  the  open- 
ings in  the  ridge  that  followed  the  coast  to  the  westward. 
Although  the  sky  was  overcast,  it  was  broad  daylight, — 
the  daylight  of  a  dull  winter  afternoon, — and  as  the  cutter 
passed  along,  Colwell  could  recognize  the  familiar  land- 
marks of  the  year  before  ;  the  long  sweep  of  the  rocky 
coast,  with  its  ice-foot  spanning  every  cove,  the  snow  gath- 
ered in  the  crevices,  the  projecting  headlands,  and  the  line 


220 


HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Schley 


of  the  ice-pack  which  had  ground  up  the  "Proteus,"  dimly 
seen  in  the  mists  to  the  north,  across  the  tossing  waters  of 
Kane  Sea.     At  last  the  boat  arrived  at  the  site  of  the 
wreck-cache,  and  the  shore  was  eagerly  scanned,  but  noth- 
ing could  be  seen.     Bounding  the  next  point,  the  cutter 
opened  out  the  cove  beyond.     There,  on  the  top  of  a  little 
ridge,  fifty  or  sixty  yards  above  the  ice-foot,  was  plainly 
outlined   the   figure  of  a  man.     Instantly  the   coxswain 
caught  up  the  boat-hook  and  waved  his  flag.     The  man  on 
the  ridge  had  seen  them,  for  he  stooped,  picked  up  a  signal- 
flag  from  the  rock,  and  waved  it  in  reply.     Then  he  was 
seen  coming  slowly  and  cautiously  down  the  steep  rocky 
slope.     Twice  he  fell  down  before  he  reached  the  foot.    As 
he  approached,  still  walking  feebly  and  with  difficulty, 
Colwell  hailed  him  from  the  bow  of  the  boat. 
"  Who  all  are  there  left  ?" 
"  Seven  left." 

As  the  cutter  struck  the  ice,  Colwell  jumped  off  and  went 
up  to  him.  He  was  a  ghastly  sight.  His  cheeks  were  hol- 
low, his  eyes  wild,  his  hair  and  beard  long  and  matted. 
His  army  blouse,  covering  several  thicknesses  of  shirts  and 
jackets,  was  ragged  and  dirty.  He  wore  a  little  fur  cap 
and  rough  moccasins  of  untanned  leather  tied  around  the 
leg.  As  he  spoke,  his  utterance  was  thick  and  mumbling, 
and  in  his  agitation  his  jaws  worked  in  convulsive  twitches. 
As  the  two  met,  the  man,  with  a  sudden  impulse,  took  off 
his  glove  and  shook  Colwell's  hand. 

" Where  are  they  ?"  asked  Colwell,  briefly. 
"In  the  tent,"  said  the  man,  pointing  over  his  shoulder; 
"  over  the  hill ;  the  tent  is  down." 
"Is  Mr.  Greely  alive?" 
"  Yes,  Greely's  alive." 
"  Any  other  officers  ?" 
"  No."     Then  he  repeated,  absently,  "  The  tent  is  down." 


Schley]  RESCUED  FROM  DEATH.  221 

"  Who  are  you  ?" 

"Long." 

Before  this  colloquy  was  over  Lowe  and  Norman  had 
started  up  the  hill.  Hastily  filling  his  pockets  with  bread, 
and  taking  the  two  cans  of  pemmican,  Colwell  told  the  cox- 
swain to  take  Long  into  the  cutter,  and  started  after  the 
others  with  Ash.  Beaching  the  crest  of  the  ridge,  and 
looking  southward,  they  saw  spread  out  before  them  a  des- 
olate expanse  of  rocky  ground,  sloping  gradually  from  a 
ridge  on  the  east  to  the  ice-covered  shore,  which  at  the 
west  made  in  and  formed  a  cove.  Back  of  the  level  space 
was  a  range  of  hills  rising  up  eight  hundred  feet,  with  a 
precipitous  face,  broken  in  two  by  a  gorge,  through  which 
the  wind  was  blowing  furiously.  On  a  little  elevation 
directly  in  front  was  the  tent.  Hurrying  on  across  the  in- 
tervening hollow,  Colwell  came  up  with  Lowe  and  Norman 
just  as  they  were  greeting  a  soldierly-looking  man  who 
had  come  out  from  the  tent. 

As  Colwell  approached,  Norman  was  saying  to  the  man, — 

"There  is  the  lieutenant." 

And  he  added  to  Colwell, — 

"  This  is  Sergeant  Brainard." 

Brainard  immediately  drew  himself  up  to  the  position 
of  the  soldier,  and  was  about  to  salute  when  Colwell  took 
his  hand. 

At  this  moment  there  was  a  confused  murmur  within  the 
tent,  and  a  voice  said, — 

"Who's  there?" 

Norman  answered,  "  It's  Norman, — Norman  who  was 
in  the  <  Proteus.'  " 

This  was  followed  by  cries  of  "  Oh,  it's  Norman  !"  and  a 
sound  like  a  feeble  cheer. 

Meanwhile,  one  of  the  relief  party,  who  in  his  agitation 
and  excitement  was  crying  like  a  child,  was  down  on  his 

19* 


222  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Schley 

hands  and  knees  trying  to  roll  away  the  stones  that  held 
down  the  flapping  tent  cloth.  The  tent  was  a  "  tepik,"  or 
wigwam  tent,  with  a  fly  attached.  The  fly,  with  its  posts 
and  ridge-pole,  had  been  wrecked  by  the  gale  which  had 
been  blowing  for  thirty-six  hours,  and  the  pole  of  the  tepik 
was  toppling  over,  and  only  kept  in  place  by  the  guy-ropes. 
There  was  no  entrance  except  under  the  flap  opening, 
which  was  held  down  by  stones.  Colwell  called  for  a  knife, 
cut  a  slit  in  the  tent-cover,  and  looked  in. 

It  was  a  sight  of  horror.  On  one  side,  close  to  the  open- 
ing, with  his  head  towards  the  outside,  lay  what  was 
apparently  a  dead  man.  His  jaw  had  dropped,  his  eyes 
were  open,  but  fixed  and  glassy,  his  limbs  were  motionless. 
On  the  opposite  was  a  poor  fellow,  alive  to  be  sure,  but 
without  hands  or  feet,  and  with  a  spoon  tied  to  the  stump 
of  his  right  arm.  Two  others  seated  on  the  ground,  in  the 
middle,  had  just  got  down  a  rubber  bottle  that  hung  on  the 
tent-pole,  and  were  pouring  from  it  into  a  tin  can.  Directly 
opposite,  on  his  hands  and  knees,  was  a  dark  man  with  a 
long  matted  beard,  in  a  dirty  and  tattered  dressing-gown, 
with  a  little  red  skull  cap  on  his  head,  and  brilliant  staring 
eyes.  As  Colwell  appeared,  he  raised  himself  a  little,  and 
put  on  a  pair  of  eye-glasses. 

"  Who  are  you  ?"  asked  Colwell. 

The  man  made  no  answer,  staring  at  him  vacantly. 

"  Who  are  you  ?"  again. 

One  of  the  men  spoke  up :  "  That's  the  major, — Major 
Greely." 

Colwell  crawled  in  and  took  him  by  the  hand,  saying  to 
him,  "  Greely,  is  this  you?" 

"  Yes,"  said  Greely  in  a  faint  broken  voice,  hesitating 
and  shuffling  with  his  words,  "yes — seven  of  us  left — here 
we  are — dying — like  men.  Did  what  I  came  to  do — beat 
the  best  record." 


Schley]  RESCUED   FROM  DEATH.  223 

Then  he  fell  back  exhausted. 

The  four  men  in  the  tent  with  Greely  were  two  sergeants, 
Elison  and  Fredericks ;  Bierderbick,  the  hospital  steward  ; 
and  Private  Connell,  who,  with  Brainard  and  Long,  were 
all  that  remained  of  the  twenty-five  members  of  the  Lady 
Franklin  Bay  Expedition.  The  scene,  as  Colwell  looked 
around,  was  one  of  misery  and  squalor.  The  rocky  floor 
was  covered  with  cast-off  clothes,  and  among  them  were 
huddled  together  the  sleeping-bags  in  which  the  party  had 
spent  most  of  their  time  during  the  last  few  months. 
There  was  no  food  left  in  the  tent  but  two  or  three  cans 
of  a  thin,  repulsive-looking  jelly,  made  by  boiling  strips  cut 
from  the  seal-skin  clothing.  The  bottle  on  the  tent-pole 
still  held  a  few  teaspoonfuls  of  brandy,  but  it  was  their 
last,  and  they  were  sharing  it  as  Colwell  entered;  it  was 
evident  that  most  of  them  had  not  long  to  live.  .  .  . 

As  soon  as  Colwell  understood  the  condition  of  affairs,  he 
sent  Chief-Engineer  Lowe  back  to  the  cutter  to  put  off  to 
the  "  Bear"  with  Long,  to  report  what  had  happened,  and 
bring  off  the  others  with  the  surgeon  and  stimulants. 
Fredericks  and  Bierderbick  presently  got  up  and  came  out. 
Colwell  gave  them,  as  well  as  Greely  and  Elison,  a  little  of 
the  biscuit  he  had  in  his  pocket,  which  they  munched 
slowly  and  deliberately.  Then  he  gave  them  another  bit, 
while  Norman  opened  one  of  the  cans  of  pemmican. 
Scraping  off  a  little  with  a  knife,  Colwell  fed  them  slowly 
by  turns.  It  was  a  pitiable  sight.  They  could  not  stand 
up  and  had  dropped  down  on  their  knees,  and  held  out 
their  hands  begging  for  more.  After  they  had  each  been 
fed  twice,  they  were  told  that  they  had  had  enough,  that 
they  could  not  eat  more  then  without  danger;  but  their 
hunger  bad  now  come  back  with  full  force,  and  they  begged 
piteously  to  be  helped  again,  protesting  that  it  could  do 
them  no  harm.     Colwell  was  wisely  deaf  to  their  entreaties 


224  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Schley 

and  threw  away  the  can.  When  Greely  found  that  he  was 
refused  he  took  out  a  can  of  the  boiled  seal-skin,  which  had 
been  carefully  husbanded,  and  which  he  said  he  had  a 
right  to  eat,  as  it  was  his  own.  This  was  taken  away 
from  him,  but  while  Colwell  was  at  work  trying  to  raise 
the  tent,  some  one  got  the  half-emptied  can  of  pemmican, 
and  by  the  time  it  was  discovered  had  eaten  its  contents. 

The  weaker  ones  were  like  children,  petulant,  rambling 
and  fitful  in  their  talk,  absent,  and  sometimes  a  little  in- 
coherent.    While  they  were  waiting  for  the  return  of  the 
boat,  Colwell  and  the  ice-masters  did  their  best  to  cheer 
them  up  by  telling  them  that  relief  was  at  hand,  and  that 
the  others  would  soon  arrive.     They  could  not  realize  it, 
and  refused  to  believe  it.     So  they  were  humored,  and  by 
way  of  taking  up  their  thoughts,  Colwell  told  them  some- 
thing  of  what  had  been  going  on  in  the  world  during  their 
three  years  of  exile.     Curiously  enough,  there  was  much 
that  they  knew  already.     It  turned  out  that  among  the 
stores  from  the  «  Proteus"  were  two  boxes  of  lemons,  and  the 
fruit  had  been  wrapped  up  in  scraps  of  English  newspapers, 
—"those  lemons  which  your  dear  wife  put  up  for  us,    as 
one  of  them  said  to  Colwell  in  a  moment  of  wandering 
fancy     The  latter  could  only  disclaim  the  imaginary  ob- 
ligation to  an  imaginary  person,  but  the  impression  had 

already  faded.  ,  . 

As  Greely  complained  of  cold,  Colwell  gave  him  his 
gloves,  and  persuaded  him  to  go  back  to  his  sleeping-bag. 
This  was  lying  under  the  fallen  tent-cloth,  which  the  party 
had  been  too  weak  or  too  discouraged  to  raise  up  and  dis- 
engage. Where  the  single  remaining  pole  supported  the 
tent  there  was  a  clear  space  of  perhaps  six  feet,  just 
enough  for  a  man  to  stand  upright,  but  around  it  the  can- 
vas was  lying  on  the  ground.  The  bag,  from  ^^ 
had  hardly  moved   for  a  month,  was   found   under  the 


Schley]  RESCUED   FROM  DEATH.  225 

canvas,  and  by  the  united  efforts  of  the  three  men  the  tent 
was  partly  raised. 

Meanwhile,  the  "  Bear"  had  arrived  and  Lowe  had  gone 
off  in  the  cutter,  taking  with  him  Sergeant  Long.  Long  was 
too  weak  to  get  on  board  without  assistance,  and  was  lifted 
over  the  side  by  some  of  the  crew  and  taken  to  a  chair  in 
the  wardroom.  In  reply  to  questions  about  the  party  and 
their  condition,  Long,  in  a  husky  voice,  told  his  story  :  that 
all  were  dead  except  Greely  and  five  others,  who  were  on 
shore  in  "  sore  distress — sore  distress  ;"  that  they  had  had 
a  hard  winter,  and  "  the  wonder  was  how  in  God's  name 
they  had  pulled  through."  No  words  can  describe  the 
pathos  of  this  man's  broken  and  enfeebled  utterance  as  he 
said,  over  and  over,  "a  hard  winter— a  hard  winter;"  and 
the  officers  who  were  gathered  about  him  in  the  wai'droom 
felt  an  emotion  which  most  of  them  were  at  little  pains  to 
conceal.  The  first  sign  of  the  relief  expedition  which  had 
reached  the  camp  was  the  sound  from  the  steam  whistle  of 
the  "  Thetis,"  recalling  the  shore  parties  at  Payer  Harbor. 
Lieutenant  Greely,  lying  on  the  ground  in  his  tent,  had 
heard  it,  as  it  was  borne  faintly  over  the  neck  of  land,  but 
the  others  had  not  noticed  it  in  the  roaring  wind,  and 
when  he  told  them  he  had  heard  a  steamer's  whistle,  they 
thought  it  only  the  impression  of  his  disturbed  imagination. 
Long  crawled  out  of  the  tent  and,  bracing  himself  against 
the  wind,  struggled  up  to  the  ridge ;  but  nothing  could 
be  seen  but  the  rocky  coast,  and  the  ice-foot,  and  the 
chopping  sea  with  the  pack  stretching  off  in  the  distance. 
It  was  a  bitter  disappointment.  Long  went  back  dis- 
heartened, but  after  waiting  uneasily  awhile  longer,  he 
mounted  the  ridge  a  second  time.  Still  there  was  nothing 
to  be  seen  but  the  same  hopeless  prospect,  and  ho  was 
about  to  return  again  when   the  cuttor  came   into  view 

around  the  point  above.     After  all  these  months  of  waiting 
i.—p 


226  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Collis 

it  was  hard  to  believe  that  he  was  not  dreaming,  but  when 
he  saw  the  coxswain  wave  the  familiar  flag,  he  knew  that 
relief  had  come  at  last. 

[The  conclusion  of  the  story  is  longer  than  we  have  space  to  give. 
It  will  suffice  to  say  that  the  survivors  were  gradually  brought  back  to 
life  and  health,  and  that  the  living  and  the  bodies  of  the  dead  alike 
were  brought  back  to  the  United  States ;  and  that  in  the  robust- 
appearing  General  Greely  of  to-day  there  is  nothing  to  indicate  the 
terrible  strain  of  that  dread  winter  in  the  realm  of  ice. J 


THE  MUIR  GLACIER. 

SEPTIMA   M.  COLLIS. 

["No  other  country  in  the  world  possesses  so  many  unique  wonders 
of  nature  as  the  United  States.  The  Yosemite  Valley,  Yellowstone 
Park,  Mammoth  Cave,  Niagara  Falls,  and  Sequoia  Groves  each  stands 
alone  in  its  peculiar  beauty  or  grandeur ;  and  to  these  we  may  add  the 
Muir  Glacier  in  Alaska,  before  which  the  famous  glaciers  of  the  Alps 
shrink  into  insignificance,  and  which  has  no  rival  outside  the  Arctic 
zone.  "A  Woman's  Trip  to  Alaska,"  by  Mrs.  Collis,  gives  a  vivid 
and  picturesque  description  of  this  glacial  wonder,  which  we  here  ap- 
pend. The  sketch  given  is  preceded  by  a  statistical  one,  in  which  we 
are  told  that  this  glacier  sheds  from  its  front  "  one  hundred  and  sixty 
million  cubic  feet  of  ice  every  twenty-four  hours."] 

The  previous  chapter  has  briefly  outlined  the  main  facts 
within  my  knowledge  concerning  the  Muir  Glacier  which 
I  had  gathered  from  my  reading,  and  upon  which  I  had 
to  create  the  image  of  what  I  expected  to  see.  True,  I 
had  seen  photographs  of  it;  yes,  and  I  had  photographs 
of  the  Ciifton  of  the  Yellowstone,  and  of  the  Nevada 
Palls,  and  of  Niagara,  just  as  I  have  seen  paste  diamonds; 
I  knew  their  shapes,  and  that  is  all  I  ever  gathered  from 


Collis]  THE  MUIR  GLACIER.  227 

their  portraits.  Neither  the  expression,  nor  the  complexion, 
nor  the  sound  of  the  voice  of  nature  are  to  be  found  upon 
the  dull  surface  of  the  photograph  ;  you  simply  get  the 
general  lines,  some  of  the  shadows,  very  erroneous  perspec- 
tive, and  that  is  all.  We  had  come  to  a  stand-still  while  we 
were  at  lunch.  I  had  observed  the  slackening  of  speed ; 
next  the  stoppage  of  the  machinery ;  then  the  absolute 
stillness  of  the  ship ;  and  finally  a  darkening  of  the  saloon. 
AVe  were  evidently  at  a  halt  under  the  shadow  of  some  im- 
mense elevation.  A  passenger  on  tiptoe  looked  through 
the  port-hole,  and  uttered  an  exclamation  of  amazement ; 
then  we  all  rushed  to  similar  apertures;  climbed  on  the 
chairs ;  looked  over  the  men's  shoulders ;  in  fact,  did  all 
kinds  of  unreasonable  things,  and  at  last  stampeded  up  the 
companion-way  to  the  deck. 

I  pray  heaven  that  neither  age  nor  infirmity  may  ever 
efface  from  my  memory  the  sight  and  the  sensation  of  that 
moment.  To  say  that  I  was  transfixed,  speechless,  fasci- 
nated to  intoxication  by  the  spell  of  this  marvellous  devel- 
opment is  no  exaggeration.  Those  who  reached  the  deck 
first  seemed  paralyzed,  halted,  and  thus  blockaded  the  way 
for  those  who  were  to  follow;  others  kept  within  the  saloon 
from  choice,  as  though  they  dreaded  some  phenomenal 
convulsion.  I  wedged  my  way  as  best  I  could,  after  the 
first  shock  of  amazement  had  subsided,  up  to  the  very  bow 
of  the  ship. 

Upon  each  side  of  me,  half  a  mile  away,  rose  the  same 
old  mountains  which  I  had  seen  everywhere  from  Tacoma 
north  ;  at  my  feet  the  same  Pacific  Ocean,  but  in  front  of 
me,  apparently  so  close  that  I  could  almost  reach  it  with 
my  fingers,  the  perpendicular  wall  of  a  cafion,  not  of 
rock,  nor  clay,  nor  grass,  nor  forest,  but  of  ice, — a  wall  of 
ice  a  mile  in  length ;  and  when  I  say  a  mile,  I  mean  over 
eighteen  hundred  yards  of  it ;  and  when  I  speak  of  ice,  I  do 


228  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Collis 

not  mean  the  sooty,  porous  stuff  that  lodges  in  the  valleys 
of  the  Alps;  I  mean  the  veritable,  pure,  clear,  crystal  ice 
of  the  ice-pitcher.     A  wall  a  hundred  yards  high,  and  in 
some  places  towering  up  an  additional  fifty;  a  wall  ex- 
tending down  deeper  in  the  ocean  than  it  reaches  from  the 
ocean  to  the  sky;  hard  as  adamant,  sharp  and  edged  like 
flint,  aqua-marine  in  color,  deepening  towards  the  water' 
into  indigo,  tipped  on  the  summits  and  projections  with  a 
froth  of  snow.    If  I  did  not  know  that  it  was  ice,  I  should 
believe  that  it  was  glass.     If  I  did  not  know  that  it  was 
the  work  of  the  Creator,  I  should  believe  that  here  had 
assembled  a  convocation  of  architects,  who  in  their  collec- 
tive ingenuity  had  reproduced  a  combination  of  the  chefs- 
d'oeuvre  of  their  art;  for  here  were  the  buttresses  of  the 
English  abbeys,  and  flying  buttresses  of  Notre  Dame,  tur- 
rets of  the  Normans,  towers  of  the  early  English,  spires 
of  the  cathedral  in  Cologne,  wonderful  unoccupied  niches, 
pilasters  of  the  purest  white  marble  and  green  malachite, 
and  decorative  carving  and  high  polish  worthy  of  Cellini. 

It  was  a  cloudy  day,  yet  the  front  glistened  with  pris- 
matic splendor.     What  will  it  be,  I  asked  myself,  if  in  the 
afternoon  the  setting  sun  shall  light  it  up?     But  we  are 
too  close  to  it  for  our  own  safety,  we  learn,  and  are  slowly 
moved  back  half  a  mile,  where  our  anchor  is  dropped  and 
preparations  are  made  to  row  us  on  shore  to  climb  to  the 
top  of  the  glacier.     While  we  are  moving  a  sharp  detona- 
tion rings  out  like  the  firing  of  a  rifle,  and  one  of  the 
beautiful  spires  on  the  crest  of  the  very  centre  of  the  wall 
is  shivered  into  atoms,  and  its  fragments  fall  with  a  splash 
four  hundred  feet.    Later  there  is  a  report  as  of  a  cannon, 
but  without  result ;  this,  we  are  told,  is  the  parting  of  the 
*ea  of  ice  somewhere   far  back   in   its  mountain   home. 
Presently  two  similar  explosions,  evidently  right  close  to 
us,  followed  by  rumbling  echoes,  and  over  topples  a  huge 


Collis]  THE  MVIR    GLACIER.  229 

mass  weighing  tons,  which  sinks  so  far  that  several  seconds 
elapse  before  it  rises  to  the  surface,  swaying  to  and  fro 
until  it  finds  its  equilibrium,  and  then  floats  down  the  cur- 
rent, one  more  turquoise  gem  added  to  the  chain  which 
precedes  it. 

And  this  continued  all  day,  sometimes  at  intervals  of 
seconds  only,  sometimes  of  half  an  hour,  and  when  we  re- 
tired at  night  the  explosion  and  the  splash  became  as 
monotonous  and  periodical  as  the  tinkling  of  the  street-car 
bell  or  the  footstep  of  the  passer-by  does  at  home.  There 
was  one  tremendous  breaking-off  towards  evening;  the 
sun,  as  we  had  hoped,  was  out  in  full  glory,  and  at  the 
distance  from  which  we  now  viewed  the  glacier  it  was  a 
mountain  of  snow-covered  ice  chopped  off  in  front.  For 
many  miles  we  could  see  over  and  beyond  the  facade,  as 
though  looking  at  a  great  river  of  snow ;  yet  the  facade 
itself  was  a  face  of  corrugated  emerald,  reflecting  the  sun's 
rays  at  every  imaginable  angle,  and  changing  and  scintil- 
lating with  every  movement  of  the  ship. 

Suddenly,  near  the  centre,  the  top  began  to  incline  for- 
ward, and  the  whole  face  of  probably  twenty  yards  in 
width,  from  the  top  of  the  glacier  to  the  bottom  of  the 
bay,  fell  outward  as  a  ladder  would  fall,  without  a  break 
anywhere.  There  was  a  tremendous  upheaving  of  the 
water,  of  course;  then  the  report  of  the  invariable  explo- 
sion reached  us,  but  no  trace  remained  of  the  fallen  ice, 
save  the  swell  in  the  water,  which  had  almost  reached  and 
rocked  the  steamer.  I  do  not  know  how  much  time 
elapsed  before  the  lovely  thing  rose  to  the  surface,  but  it 
seemed  an  age,  and  then  it  came  in  a  dozen  pieces,  each  of 
the  same  exquisite  diaphanous  blue,  which,  as  they  ap- 
proached us  gradually,  changed  to  a  clear  transparent 
sapphire. 

If  it  will  help  to  serve  the  purpose  of  giving  a  just  idea 

20 


230  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Collts 

of  the  colossal  proportions  of  the  scene  I  endeavor  to  de- 
scribe, let  me  say  that  the  Capitol  at  Washington,  the  City- 
Hall  in  Philadelphia,  the  Cathedral,  the  Equitable,  and  the 
Mills  Buildings  in  New  York,  and  all  the  mammoth  news- 
paper offices  in  the  same  city  might  be  floated  in  front  of 
the  Muir  Glacier,  and  yet  its  emerald  walls  would  overtop 
and  engulf  them  all.  As  a  contrast  to  all  that  is  pure  and 
chaste  in  the  scene  before  us,  there  rushes  out  from  the 
eastern  end  of  the  glacier  a  subglacial  stream  of  thick, 
dirty  water,  much  resembling,  as  it  boils  up  from  its  cav- 
ernous outlet,  the  mud  geyser  of  the  Yellowstone.  This  is 
a  perpetually  flowing  river,  charged  with  sediment  and 
debris  from  the  scouring  process  produced  by  the  friction 
of  the  moving  ice  along  its  bed  of  rock  ;  it  gives  the  water 
in  the  inlet  a  thick,  gray  color,  utterly  destroying  the 
charm  of  its  otherwise  transparent  character. 

If  you  are  amiable  enough  to  say  that  what  I  have 
written  gives  a  sufficiently  correct  idea  of  what  you  expect 
to  see,  I  beg  to  differ  from  you.  No  camera,  no  pencil,  no 
vocabulary,  can  do  more  than  produce  a  desire  to  see  for 
one's  self.  I  can  only  say  that  it  has  been  my  fortune  to 
behold  much  that  is  grand  in  nature  and  in  art  at  home 
and  abroad,  but  the  hours  spent  at  Muir  Glacier  made  tho 
great  event  of  my  life.  If  God  spares  me,  I  hope  to  see  it 
often.  And  fearing  I  might  be  accused  of  exaggeration, 
which  is  far  from  my  desire,  for  I  am  searching  in  vain  for 
superlatives  which  would  do  the  subject  justice,  let  me 
quote  from  others  who  preceded  me,  and  all  of  whom  have 
established  their  reputation  as  authorities. 

Miss  Kate  Field  says,  "  In  Switzerland  a  glacier  is  a 
vast  bed  of  dirty,  air-holed  ice  that  has  fastened  itself,  like 
a  cold  porous  plaster,  to  the  side  of  an  Alp.  Distance  alone 
lends  enchantment  to  the  view.  In  Alaska  a  glacier  is  a 
wonderful  torrent  that  seems  to  have  been  suddenly  frozen 


Collis]  THE  MUIR   GLACIER.  231 

when  about  to  plunge  into  the  sea.  .  .  .  Think  of  Niagara 
Falls  frozen  stiff,  add  thirty-six  feet  to  its  height,  and  you 
have  a  slight  idea  of  the  terminus  of  Muir  Glacier,  in  front 
of  which  your  steamer  anchors  ;  picture  a  background  of 
mountains  fifteen  thousand  feet  high,  all  snow-clad,  and 
then  imagine  a  gorgeous  sun  lighting  up  the  ice-crystals 
with  rainbow  coloring.  The  face  of  the  glacier  takes  on 
the  hue  of  aqua-marine,  the  hue  of  every  bit  of  floating 
ice,  big  and  little,  that  surround  the  steamer  and  make 
navigation  serious.  These  dazzling  serpents  move  at  the 
rate  of  sixty-four  feet  a  day,  tumbling  headlong  into  the 
sea,  and,  as  they  fall,  the  ear  is  startled  by  submarine 
thunder,  the  echoes  of  which  resound  far  and  near.  Down, 
down,  down  goes  the  berg,  and  woe  to  the  boat  in  its  way 
when  it  rises  again  to  the  surface." 

Charles  Hallock  in  "  Our  New  Alaska,"  pp.  172-733 :  "  The 
glacier  wall  overhung  us  with  its  mighty  majesty,  three 
times  the  height  of  the  steamer's  mast  or  more,  and  we 
seemed  none  too  far  away  to  escape  the  constantly  cleaving 
masses  which  dropped  from  its  face  with  deafening  deto- 
nations. The  foam  which  gathered  from  the  impetus  of 
the  plunges  surged  upward  fully  two-thirds  of  the  height 
of  the  cliff,  and  the  resulting  swell  tossed  the  large  steamer 
like  a  toy,  and  rolled  up  in  breakers  of  surf  upon  the  beach. 
.  .  .  The  glacier  is  by  no  means  smooth,  but  is  seamed  and 
riven  in  every  part  by  clefts  and  fissures.  It  is  hollowed 
into  caverns  and  grottos,  hung  with  massive  stalactites, 
and  fashioned  into  pinnacles  and  domes.  Every  section 
and  configuration  has  its  heart  of  translucent  blue  or  green, 
interlaced  or  bordered  by  fretted  frostwork  of  intensest 
white,  so  that  the  appearance  is  at  all  times  gnome-like 
and  supernatural.  .  .   . 

"  I  cannot  conceive  how  any  one  can  sit  by  and  contem- 
plate without  emotion  the  stupendous  throes  which  give 


232  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Collis 

birth  to  the  icebergs,  attended  with  detonations  like  explo- 
sions of  artillery,  and  reverberations  of  thunder  across  the 
sky,  and  the  mighty  wreckage  which  follows  each  convul- 
sion. Nevertheless,  I  have  seen  a  lady  loll  with  com- 
plaisance in  her  steamer  chair  comfortably  wrapped  for 
the  chilly  air,  and  observe  the  astounding  scene  with  the 
same  languid  contemplation  that  she  would  discuss  her 
social  fixtures  and  appointments.  Zounds !  I  believe  that 
such  a  human  negation  would  calmly  view  the  wrecks  of 
worlds  and  hear  the  crack  of  doom  at  the  final  rendering, 
if  it  did  not  affect  her  set.  She  could  watch,  at  a  suitable 
distance,  the  agony  of  Christian  martyrs,  the  carnage  of 
great  battles,  the  sweep  of  cyclones,  the  diluvial  sub- 
mergence. Dynamite  would  not  appall  her,  but  to  me  it 
would  be  the  acme  of  satisfaction,  ineffably  supreme,  to 
startle  such  clods  of  inanition  by  a  cry  of  mouse,  and  elec- 
trify them  into  momentary  emotion.  No  vinaigrette  would 
ever  mitigate  the  shock."  .  .  . 

Mrs.  E.  E.  Scidmore,  in  "  Journeys  in  Alaska,"  says,  "  Ava- 
lanches of  crumbling  snow  and  great  pieces  of  the  front 
were  continually  falling  with  the  roar  and  crash  of  artil- 
lery, revealing  new  caverns  and  rifts  of  deeper  blue  light, 
while  the  spray  dashed  high  and  the  great  waves  rolled 
along  the  icy  wall,  and,  widening  in  their  sweep,  washed 
the  blocks  of  floating  ice  up  on  the  beaches  on  either  side. 
.  .  .  The  nearer  one  approached  the  higher  the  ice-walls 
seemed,  and  all  along  the  front  there  were  pinnacles  and 
spires  weighing  several  tons,  that  seemed  on  the  point  of 
toppling  every  moment.  The  great  buttresses  of  ice  that 
rose  first  from  the  water  and  touched  the  moraine  were  as 
solidly  white  as  marble,  veined  and  streaked  with  rocks 
and  mud,  but  farther  on,  as  the  pressure  was  greater,  the 
color  slowly  deepened  to  turquoise  and  sapphire  blues." 

Alexander  Badlam,  in  his  "  Wonders  of  Alaska,"  p.  42, 


Collis]  THE   MUIR    GLACIER.  233 

quotes  Professor  Muir  himself  as  saying  that  the  front 
and  brow  of  the  glacier  were  "  dashed  and  sculptured  into 
a  maze  of  yawning  chasm,  ravines,  canons,  crevasses,  and 
a  bewildering  chaos  of  architectural  forms,  beautiful  be- 
yond the  measure  of  description,  and  so  bewildering  in 
their  beauty  as  to  almost  make  the  spectator  believe  he 
was  revelling  in  a  dream."  "  There  were,"  he  said,  "  great 
clusters  of  glistening  spires,  gables,  obelisks,  monoliths,  and 
castles,  standing  out  boldly  against  the  sky,  with  bastion 
and  mural,  surmounted  by  fretted  cornice,  and  every  inter- 
stice and  chasm  reflecting  a  sheen  of  scintillating  light  and 
deep-blue  shadow,  making  a  combination  of  color,  dazzling, 
startling,  and  enchanting." 

The  next  sensation  in  store  for  the  tourist  is  the  climb  to 
the  top  of  the  glacier.  All  the  row-boats  were  lowered,  and 
about  a  dozen  passengers  in  each,  armed  with  alpenstocks, 
were  ferried  in  successive  groups  from  the  ship  to  the  east- 
ern beach,  a  distance  of  perhaps  half  a  mile,  instructions 
being  given  to  each  steersman  to  keep  a  sharp  lookout  for 
falling  icebergs.  And  here  your  trouble  commences  unless 
you  are  well  advised.  The  ascent  is  exceedingly  difficult ; 
what  looks  like  a  mountain  of  rock  over  which  you  must 
wend  your  way  to  the  ice-fields,  is  really  a  mountain  of  ice 
covered  by  a  layer  of  slimy  mud,  crusted  with  pieces  of 
flinty  granite,  standing  up  on  end  like  broken  bottle  glass 
on  top  of  a  wall.  I  wore  India-rubber  high  boots  when  I 
started,  and  I  needed  crutches  before  I  finished.  It  may 
be  chilly  as  you  leave  the  ship,  according  as  the  sun  may 
be  out  or  in ;  if  chilly,  get  your  escort  to  carry  an  extra 
shawl  for  you  to  wrap  yourself  in  when  you  row  back  to 
the  ship ;  if  the  weather  is  bright  and  warm,  clothe  your- 
self lightly,  for  it  grows  warmer  with  the  glare  from  the  ice 
and  the  physical  exertion.  Be  very  careful  where  you  step, 
and  if  you  are  wise  follow  in  the  footsteps  of  others ;  do  not 

20* 


234  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Collis 

undertake  to  lead,  else  one  foot  may  be  trying  to  ascertain 
the  depth  of  a  quagmire  and  the  other  exploring  a  fissure. 

After  an  ascent  of  perhaps  two  and  a  half  miles,  which 
seem  more  like  ten,  you  will  find  yourself  on  the  edge  of 
a  frozen  sea,  frozen,  as  it  were,  while  in  the  throes  of  a 
tempest,  a  bay  of  storm-tossed  waves  solidified  as  by  a 
signal ;  and  this  extends  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach  up 
into  the  mountains  towards  the  north,  and  several  miles 
across  to  the  hills  upon  the  opposite  shore.  The  ice  is  by 
no  means  clear  or  brilliant,  on  the  contrary,  its  color  is 
milky  and  its  formation  honey-combed,  plastic,  porous,  and 
yielding  to  the  tread ;  besides  which  it  is  besmeared  with 
sediment  from  mountain  thaws  which  have  traversed  its 
rifts,  and  disfigured  by  fallen  logs  and  drift-wood. 

I  confess  if  I  visited  Muir  Glacier  a  hundred  times  I 
should  always  remain  on  deck  and  watch  the  pyrotechnics 
of  the  facade  rather  than  undergo  the  thankless  fatigue  of 
climbing  to  the  top,  which  is  infinitely  more  laborious  than 
the  ascent  of  Vesuvius  on  foot  through  the  lava,  or  any 
work  to  be  done  on  the  trails  of  the  Yosemite.  To  those 
who  are  willing  to  undertake  it,  however,  I  suggest  that 
when  they  have  ascended  the  first  mile,  which  will  bring 
them  on  a  line  with  the  top  of  the  wall  of  the  glacier,  they 
should  look  back  at  their  little  tiny  ship,  floating  like  the 
"  Maid  of  the  Mist"  beneath  Niagara,  to  fully  realize  the 
immense  proportions  of  the  glacier. 

It  is  said  that  persons  have  been  missed  and  never  again 
found  who  made  this  ascent,  and  I  know  that  at  least  one 
case  is  authentic,  that  of  a  young  clergyman,  who,  straying 
away  from  his  companions,  was  never  again  seen,  though 
the  most  diligent  search  was  made  for  him  by  his  friends 
and  the  ship's  crew.  A  slip  into  one  of  those  crevasses 
which  is  covered  by  a  thin  coat  of  ice,  means  to  be  precip- 
itated in  an  instant  to  a  depth  where  no  human  aid  can 


Harrison]        A   SUMMER    TRIP   TO  ALASKA.  235 

reach  you.  In  fact,  I  would  advise  all  who  wish  to  preserve 
the  impression  of  Muir  Glacier  in  its  pure,  idealized,  un- 
sullied grandeur,  to  stay  aboard  and  gaze  on  its  beautiful 
face. 

It  is  a  Persian  custom,  after  plucking  the  fruit,  to  tear  it 
asunder  in  the  middle,  hand  the  sunny  side  to  the  friend 
and  throw  the  other  half  away,  the  best  portion  being  the 
only  part  good  enough  for  those  they  love.  It  is  my  duty 
to  present  to  you  the  better  half  of  the  glacier  and  to  cast 
away  the  other.  Tired,  footsore,  and  muddy,  we  were  all 
early  in  bed,  and  while  dozing  to  sleep  I  was  much  im- 
pressed with  the  awful  stillness  of  the  hour;  everybody 
had  retired,  not  even  the  tread  of  the  man  on  watch  was 
heard,  the  very  machinery  was  sleeping,  but  every  now 
and  then  there  was  a  splash  and  a  report  and  an  echo  that 
brought  with  them  the  proof  that  the  forces  of  nature 
were  ever  awake,  and  that  what  was,  "  is,  and  ever  shall  be, 
world  without  end." 


A  SUMMER  TRIP  TO  ALASKA. 

JAMES   A.   HARRISON. 

[Nature  possesses  no  scenery  more  beautiful  than  that  to  be  found 
on  the  Pacific  coast  of  Washington  and  in  the  island  region  leading  to 
north  Alaska.  And  the  description  of  it  given  below  is  well  worth  re- 
production, for  its  poetic  appreciation  of  this  rich  scenic  route.] 

The  whole  fourteen  hundred — one  might  say  two  thou- 
sand— miles  of  coast  extending  from  Puget's  Sound  to 
Behring's  Strait  is  a  succession  of  beautiful  and  picturesque 
archipelagoes,  consisting  of  hundreds,  if  not  thousands,  of 
islands,  through  which  thero  are  countless  water-caves, 
lakes,  bays,  inlets,  as  smooth  as  Lake  George  and  the  Hud- 


236  HALF-HOURS   OF   TRAVEL.  [Harrisok 

son,  and  far  more  lovely.  The  smoothness  of  the  water  is 
such  that  life  on  the  steamer  is  a  luxurious  rest,  and  the 
stimulating  coolness  of  the  air  in  summer  contributes  to 
pleasant  days  and  delightful  nights.  Our  summer  trip 
covered  about  two  thousand  five  hundred  miles  from  Port- 
land and  back,  and  we  had  ample  opportunities  to  stop  at 
the  various  settlements,  talk  with  the  Indians,  and  collect 
curiosities. 

On  leaving  Port  Townsend  early  in  August,  our  ship 
made  for  the  Straits  of  Georgia,  and  for  a  long  time  fol- 
lowed the  aqueous  boundary-line  between  the  British  and 
American  possessions.  The  fog  dissolved,  and  we  caught 
views  of  Smith's  Island,  Bellingham  Bay,  and  other  points. 
The  scenery  became  river-like,  the  strait  now  opening  into 
waveless  lakes,  now  contracting,  like  the  neck  of  a  bottle, 
into  channels  where  there  were  counter-currents  and 
chopped  seas. 

At  Active  Bay  we  could  not  tell  which  way  we  were 
going,  the  passage  seemed  closed  by  lofty  mountains,  and 
the  sea  appeared  to  flow  against  their  bases  ;  but  presently 
the  wall  of  rock  split  into  a  wooded  gorge,  through  which 
we  shot  with  a  graceful  curve. 

The  long  meandering  line  of  Vancouver  Island  followed 
for  three  hundred  miles  on  the  left,  and  we  crossed  the 
Gulf  of  Georgia  in  water  of  enchanting  tranquillity. 

Our  first  days  were  spent  in  threading  the  wilderness  of 
islands  off  Vancouver,  and  we  were  close  enough  to  the 
coast  on  the  right  to  see  it  distinctly.  There  was  the 
continental  coast  range  of  Cascade  Mountains,  vanishing 
streaks  of  snow  and  silver  on  our  eastern  horizon,  rising 
from  five  hundred  to  two  thousand  five  hundred  feet  above 
the  sea-level.  Its  peaks  lay  in  every  imaginable  shape, 
twisted,  coiled,  convoluted  against  the  horizon-bar,  now 
running  up  into  a  perfect  cone,   like  the  Silberhorn  of 


Harrison]        A   SUMMER    TRIP   TO  ALASKA.  237 

Switzerland,  now  elongating  in  rippling  lines  along  the 
east,  now  staining  the  sky  with  deep-blue  masses  of  ultra- 
marine necked  with  pearly  lines. 

The  smoke  of  the  burning  forests  of  Washington  Terri- 
tory and  British  Columbia  had  filled  the  air  for  days,  and 
worried  us  not  a  little ;  but  one  morning  we  awoke  in  per- 
fect sunshine,  and  found  an  atmosphere  impregnated  with 
frosty  sparkles  from  the  distant  snow-peaks.  Just  before 
nightfall,  when  we  were  about  to  cross  Queen  Charlotte's 
Sound,  a  fog  came  up,  and  the  pilot  thought  it  advisable  to 
lie  by  for  the  night,  more  particularly  as  the  coast  is  a  dan- 
gerous one  and  is  strewn  with  reefs  and  rocks ;  so,  while  we 
were  at  dinner,  the  ship  wheeled  around,  and  we  reversed 
our  course,  going  south  until  we  reached  Port  Alexandria, 
one  of  the  most  perfect  little  harbors  conceivable.  It  is 
a  cove  just  like  the  foot  of  a  stocking ;  a  tiny,  circle-shaped 
island  lies  in  its  mouth,  and  richly-wooded  heights  throw 
their  green  shimmer  on  the  placid  water. 

Here  we  lay  till  morning,  as  "  snug  as  a  bug  in  a  rug." 
Just  before  entering  the  cove,  which  is  only  about  two 
hundred  yards  wide,  we  saw  in  the  distance  an  Indian  sea- 
canoe,  with  its  wet  paddles  flashing  in  the  sun,  and  the 
agreeable  thought  was  suggested,  Suppose  we  should  be 
surrounded  and  scalped  in  the  night !  Nothing  could  have 
been  easier  in  this  lonely  neighborhood. 

The  perpetual  wheeling  of  the  vessel  in  her  nautical 
evolutions  as  she  steamed  through  each  successive  archi- 
pelago  gave  rise  to  ever-new  comment  on  the  new  vistas 
and  island-combinations  before  us.  The  coast  of  Maine  is 
not  to  be  mentioned  in  comparison  with  this,  nor  the  island- 
dusted  Caribbean  Sea.  These  inland-sweeping  seas  open 
in  long  river  reaches,  beyond  which,  in  sharp  sunshine, 
rise  the  everlasting  peaks,  burnished  with  ice.  The  shores 
of  British  Columbia  are  densely  clothed  with  diminutive 


238  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Harrison 

needle-wood,  much  of  which  is  dead,  so  that  the  pale  yellow- 
green  is  toned  with  brown-gray.  The  water  is  intensely 
salt,  and  is  skimmed  by  wild  duck  and  by  low-flying,  tufted 
water-fowl. 

As  we  were  passing  along  one  morning,  an  Indian  crew 
came  dashing  out  in  a  canoe,  with  a  deer  for  sale.  Thero 
were  stunted-looking  squaws  in  the  boat,  and  all  quacked 
and  gesticulated  and  grunted  after  the  peculiar  linguistic 
fashion  of  the  neighborhood.  These  Indians  are  wonder- 
fully deft  with  their  fingers,  and  weave  bottle-cases,  satchels, 
baskets,  and  table-mats  out  of  split  and  dyed  grasses  with 
curious  delicacy  and  skill.  Their  face-type  is  the  homeliest 
I  have  seen :  enormous  skulls,  high-angled  cheek-bones, 
blinking  black  eyes,  flattish  noses,  and  shocks  of  horse- 
hair. Evidently  they  are  expert  huntsmen  and  sportsmen: 
often  we  saw  their  camp-fires,  or  a  canoe  stealing  along 
the  silent  water,  filled  with  crouching  forms. 

Day  after  day  there  was  a  never-ending  succession  of 
lake-scenery, — long,  winding  lanes  of  green  water  between 
steep  snow-streaked  domes  and  precipices.  The  evenings 
softened  into  singularly  lovely  nights,  with  close-hugging 
shores,  volumes  of  dark,  iodine-hued  water,  lingering  stars, 
and  phosphorescence.  The  light  hung  over  the  hyper- 
borean landscape  as  if  loath  to  leave.  At  ten  o'clock  one 
evening  we  went  out  and  found  the  ship  steaming  up  a 
lane  of  purple  glass, — the  water  magically  still,  the  air  full 
of  soft,  plaintive  cries  from  the  breeding  gulls,  the  tinkle 
of  the  parted  sea  around  our  bows,  and  the  dim,  spectral 
water  lighted  up  at  the  end  of  the  long  avenue  by  a  haunt- 
ing aurora. 

Many  a  time  the  cabin  door  formed  a  delightful  frame 
for  a  forest-picture, — gliding  water,  pale-blue  sky,  a  broken 
shore,  and,  behind,  long  lines  of  brilliant  snow-peaks,  with 
their  chased  and  frozen  silver.     "We  would  lie  asleep  for  a 


Harrison]        A   SUMMER   TRIP   TO  ALASKA.  239 

few  moments  in  the  cool  dark  of  the  cabin-interior,  and  then 
wake  up  with  one  of  these  perfect,  swiftly-moving  views  in 
the  foreground.  Before  we  caught  it,  often  it  had  gone, — 
the  pale,  plenteous  beauty  of  the  fir-crowned  shore,  the 
dancing  islets,  the  sedgy  strand-line,  the  many-colored 
rocks,  with  their  pools  and  fountain-basins  of  transparent 
water  caught  from  the  deep  and  held  in  by  their  rocky 
framework  in  a  lightness  and  purity  of  crystal  dew. 

Then  the  ship  ran  dangerously  near  to  the  coast,  or  again 
out  into  the  open  sound,  with  its  mediterranean  sprinkle 
of  islets,  serrated  walls  of  rocks,  coves  and  island-mounds, 
wherein  nested  shadows  of  amethyst  or  indigo. 

The  flow  of  life  in  some  of  these  coves  and  estuary-like 
indentations  is  marvellous,  the  fish  coming  in  egg-laden, 
and  looking  for  streams  of  fresh  water  in  which  to  deposit 
their  ova.  We  anchored  in  one  of  these  inlets,  and  found 
on  the  land  luxuriant  ferns  and  splendid  clumps  of  yellow 
cedar  and  hemlock,  with  snow-banks  behind.  Haifa  dozen 
little  bucks  and  half-breeds  were  tumbling  about  in  the 
water  through  the  long  afternoon  light,  which  seemed  to 
have  an  amaranthine  quality  and  to  be  unfading.  The  sun 
did  not  set  till  after  eight  o'clock,  and  there  was  cold, 
ghostly,  green  light  up  in  the  north  till  nearly  midnight. 
When  darkness  did  come,  it  was  of  the  genuine  cuttle-fish 
kind, — inky, — splashed  with  stars.  There  was  now  and 
then  a  delicate  shell  of  a  moon  incising  the  sky  against  a 
mountain-side  and  lending  the  most  fragile  transfiguration 
to  its  top. 

As  we  approached  Fort  Wrangel,  the  ship's  company 
turned  out  in  the  sweet  evening  sunshine  and  found  a  glo- 
rious panorama  awaiting  them.  The  sheen  of  a  mighty 
mass  of  embattled  peaks  and  pinnacles  and  feathery  float- 
ing snow-points  shone  high  up  in  the  evening  air,  just  mel- 
lowing under  a  magnificent  sunset.    These  mountains  guard 


240  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Harrison 

the  entrance  to  the  Stickeen  Eiver  and  mount  up  the  hori- 
zon after  the  Duke  of  Clarence  Strait  has  been  traversed. 

Wrangel  itself  is  most  memorably  situated  just  on  one 
side  of  these  sheeny  peaks  and  glaciers,  almost  in  the 
shadow  of  the  Devil's  Thumb,  which  rises  about  four  hun- 
dred feet  above  its  own  mountain-cluster  and  forms  one  of 
a  throng  of  confused  and  radiant  aiguilles  overlooking  the 
Stickeen.  The  sunset  had  not  entirely  faded  at  nine 
o'clock,  when  we  touched  shore  and  rejoiced  our  eyes  with 
a  series  of  wonderful  semi-arctic  color-pictures, — coal  black 
islands,  purple  islands,  lilac  islands,  islands  in  india-ink  and 
amber,  lying  in  glacier-water  of  pale  green,  and  above  and 
beyond  all  the  glorious  flush  of  the  sun  stealing  in  be- 
tween the  white  snow-needles  and  throwing  them  out  and 
up  into  luminous  relief. 

Opposite  the  town  is  an  island  shaped  like  the  cocked  hat 
of  a  gendarme,  where  it  was  said  that  the  curious  polygo- 
nal garnets  embedded  in  schist  and  peculiar  to  this  region 
are  found.  There  were  plenty  of  them  as  large  as  walnuts 
for  sale  at  twenty  five  cents  a  dozen.  Odd  carved  boxes, 
too,  made  of  an  unknown  wood  and  inlaid  with  shells,  were 
here  in  plenty;  cases  of  buckskin,  containing  the  conjuring- 
sticks  or  gambling-kits  of  the  Thlinkit  medicine-men ;  loin- 
cloths, ornamented  with  multitudes  of  rattling  puffin-beaks; 
head-dresses  of  defunct  warriors;  fantastic  and  horrible 
masks  ;  huge  spoons  carved  out  of  the  horns  of  the  moun- 
tain-ibex ;  bead-work  on  leather ;  robes  of  many-colored 
skins  quilted  together  ;  images  carved  to  resemble  otters ; 
fleecy  robes  of  wild  sheep  and  goat ;  pipes  cut  with  nude 
figures  ;  antlers ;  stuffed  animals  ;  white-breasted  loons,  and 
the  like. 

After  a  short  stop  for  landing  the  mails,  the  vessel  was 
soon  traversing  Wrangel  Strait,  just  under  some  splendid 
glaciers  and  snowy  mountains,  the  water  perfectly  smooth, 


Harrison]        A   SUMMER    TRIP  TO  ALASKA.  241 

though  full  of  small  icebergs,  which  glittered  in  the  sun- 
shine and  had  broken  off  from  the  descending  ice-mass. 
Enormous  rivers  of  ice  flow  down  between  these  moun- 
tains and  debouch  in  the  sea,  their  current  mysteriously 
stayed  by  the  low  temperature.  We  were  particularly  for- 
tunate in  having  fine,  clear  weather  early  in  the  morning, 
especially  at  this  point,  where  we  could  see  the  great  Pat- 
tison  Glacier.  The  ship  entered  the  enchanted  region 
through  a  narrow  passage,  which  one  of  us  christened  the 
"  Silver  Gates,"  the  Beulah  Mountains  edging  our  Pilgrim's 
Progress  in  passionless  white  as  we  zigzagged  along  the 
course. 

A  little  later,  the  scenery  on  Frederic  Sound  became 
truly  transcendent :  grand  mountains,  forms  that  would  be 
awful  but  for  the  sunshine  resting  on  their  heads,  the  lake- 
like sound,  with  its  blue  spits  of  land  and  cameo-like  prom- 
ontories profiled  against  the  sky,  motionless  glace-de-  Venise 
water  reflecting  a  thousand  shades  of  azure  and  gray  and 
white,  gulls  resting  on  the  watei',  with  white  bodies  and 
black  tips,  almost  a  complete  circle  of  brilliant  snow-banks 
peeping  above  the  clouds  that  hung  to  them  amorously, 
and  far-away  vistas  of  blue- white  glaciers  coming  down  to 
meet  the  water-margin. 

Schools  of  spouting  whales  played  in  the  distance,  and 
the  passengers  sent  balls  out  of  their  pistols  hissing  on  the 
water,  but  happily  hitting  nothing.  During  the  last  trip 
two  lovely  antlered  creatures  came  swimming  along  in 
the  water,  trying  to  cross  one  of  the  channels  to  another 
grazing-ground.  They  were  taken  on  board,  but  one  of 
them  died. 

The  next  landing-place  was  Killimoo,  a  little  Indian 
village  on  an  island  surrounded  by  dim-green  heights  and 
flickering,  ever-changing  mountain-views.  It  is  a  great 
station  for  drying  codfish,  long  lines  of  which  lay  spread 

I.— L  q  21 


242  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Harrison 

out  on  the  wharf  in  the  sun  to  dry.  As  night  fell  the 
squaws  and  Indian  maidens  gathered  the  rattling  fish- 
carcasses  under  little  ark-like  receptacles,  where  they  lay 
till  morning  out  of  the  dew. 

At  Juneau  some  of  the  passengers  walked  or  rowed  off 
to  the  gold-mines  in  the  mountains,  where  they  picked  up 
specimens  of  gold-quartz  and  some  teacupfuls  of  sifted 
gold-dust.  One  of  these  was  said  to  be  worth  six  hundred 
dollars,  another  over  twelve  hundred  dollars.  One  was  re- 
minded of  the  gold-dust  story  of  Alkmaion  in  Herodotus. 

Shortly  after  this  the  ship  cast  anchor  at  Chilkat  and 
Pyramid  Harbor,  our  two  highest  points  in  Alaska  waters, 
about  latitude  59°  12'  north.  We  had  but  a  poor  glimpse  of 
the  glaciers  on  the  Chilkat  side, — one  a  magnificent  down- 
flow  of  pale-blue  ice,  the  other  a  frozen  river  caught  and 
compressed  in  between  strangling  hills. 

The  location  of  Pj-ramid  Harbor  is  very  beautiful, — a 
wind-sheltered  nook,  a  curving  shore,  covered  with  pebbles, 
alder-clad  heights  just  behind,  and  dimly-flashing  ice-peaks 
peeping  out  of  the  mist  just  over  the  shoulder  of  a  huge 
green  rock-slope.  A  salmon-cannery  in  the  foreground, 
flanked  by  an  Indian  village,  a  semilune  of  pure  green 
water,  nearly  fresh,  and  a  curious  pyramid-shaped  knoll 
rising  from  it,  constituted  other  features  of  the  environ- 
ment. The  lifting  mists  drew  aside  for  a  while,  and  re- 
freshed the  sight  with  views  of  the  great  sculpture-lines 
of  the  surrounding  mountains. 

[We  may  pass  the  description  of  Sitka,  and  proceed.] 

We  were  greatly  favored  when  we  left  Sitka.  Starting 
off  in  a  rain,  in  which  everything  lay  in  muddy  eclipse,  we 
woke  up  next  morning  and  found  ourselves  tracing  the 
outside  route  to  the  Muir  Glacier  in  sparkling  sunshine. 
The  transition  was  delightful,  and,  though  most  of  the 


Harrison]        A   SUMMER   TRIP   TO  ALASKA.  243 

passengers  were  sick  from  the  tossing  of  the  ship  on  the 
long  outside  ocean-swell,  I  believe  they  all  enjoj'ed  the 
sunshine  as  it  flashed  into  their  cabin  windows,  played  on 
the  walls,  and  pricked  and  scattered  the  enormous  vapor 
masses  that  hung  over  the  mountains  on  our  right.  There 
were  no  longer  the  vaulted  vapors  of  the  preceding  days, 
the  dense  counterpane  of  nebulous  gray  that  covered  the 
whole  sky  with  its  monotony.  The  heavy  cloud-banks 
clung  to  the  mountains,  leaving  an  exquisite  arc  of  sky, 
almost  Italian  in  its  sunny  azure. 

Nothing  could  be  more  superb  than  the  deep,  dark, 
velvety  tints  of  the  crinkled  and  crumpled  mountains  as 
they  shelved  to  the  sea  and  came  in  contact  there  with  an 
edging  of  foam  from  the  blue  Pacific.  Huge  jelly-fish 
flapped  about  in  the  clear  water,  nebular  patches  of  proto- 
plasmic existence,  capable,  apparently,  of  no  other  func- 
tions than  sensation,  motion,  and  self-propagation.  Some 
of  them  were  richly  streaked,  long-tailed,  delicately  mar- 
gined, with  comet-like  streamers,  jelly-frills,  and  nuclei  like 
a  wide-open  sunflower.  Their  motion  was  so  indolently 
graceful  that  I  could  not  help  gazing  at  them. 

Mount  St.  Elias !  Yes,  there  it  was,  they  affirmed,  on  the 
northeastern  horizon,  a  vapory,  unsubstantial  cone,  dancing 
up  and  down  in  the  refracting  light.  I  looked  and  looked, 
persuading  myself  that  I  saw  the  glorious  vision  nineteen 
thousand  five  hundred  feet  high.  Others  persuaded  them- 
selves of  the  same  fact,  being  naturally  ambitious  of  car- 
rying away  remembrances  of  the  tallest  mountain  in  all 
America.  But,  after  all,  I  fancy  that  nobody  had  a  very 
strong  faith  in  his  discovery,  particularly  as  the  reputed 
mountain  seemed  to  change  its  place,  flit  hither  and  thither 
on  the  curve  of  the  sky,  and  finally  disappear. 

But  yonder!  "What  is  that?  Clouds?  Apparently. 
But  look  again.     What,  that  small  speck  just  on  the  edge 


244  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Harrison 

of  the  water?  No,  higher  up — up — up.  What  a  sight! 
Certainly  the  grandest  view  we  have  had  yet.  A  huge, 
white,  snow-tipped  back,  like  a  camel's  hump,  now  loomed 
apparently  right  out  of  the  water's  edge, — the  mighty 
range  of  Mount  Fairweather,  Mount  Crillon,  and  eight  or 
ten  other  domes  and  peaks,  the  highest  fifteen  thousand 
five  hundred  feet  high,  according  to  the  measurement  of 
the  United  States  Coast  Survey.  This  is  the  finest  moun- 
tain-landscape we  have  ever  seen,  not  even  excepting  the 
Alps  from  Neufchatol.  The  peaks  looked  enormously  high 
as  they  shot  up  just  behind  the  sea-edge,  far  above  the 
first  stratum  of  cloud  which  ran  along  midway  of  the 
mountain  in  deep  slate-colored  belts.  Now  and  then  the 
vapor  thinned  to  the  fineness  of  tulle  and  Brousa  gauze, 
behind  which  the  mountain-colors  loomed  in  vague  and  yet 
radiant  purity.  Gradually  the  ardent  sun  melted  away  the 
misty  striated  belts  of  cloud,  and  the  great  peaks  stood 
out  calmly  and  gloriously  effulgent  in  the  crystal  August 
air,  a  scene  of  exquisite  loveliness  and  sublimity.  At  one 
end  a  mighty  glacier  ran  down  to  the  sea,  and  at  the  other 
the  pygmy  mountains  (two  or  three  thousand  feet  high) 
we  had  been  coasting  lay  like  ebon  carvings  against  the 
white,  a  ripple  of  dark  velvet  against  ermine. 

For  hours  we  steamed  towards  this  splendid  picture, 
which,  while  growing  more  and  more  distinct,  did  not  ap- 
pear to  be  any  nearer  than  when  we  first  saw  it.  In  the 
afternoon  we  turned  to  the  right  of  this  range  into  icy 
straits,  and  soon  we  were  in  the  midst  of  a  scene  more 
wonderful,  perhaps,  than  that  through  which  we  had  just 
passed.  On  the  light-green  water  lay  literally  hundreds 
of  icebergs,  of  all  shapes  and  sizes,  some  a  deep  translucent 
blue,  the  blue  of  cobalt,  others  green,  others  a  pure  white, 
— serrated,  castellated,  crenellated,  glittering, — from  the 
size  of  a  tureen  to  that  of  a  small  church.    We  seemed  on 


Butlkr]  WINNIPEG  LAKE  AND  RIVER.  245 

the  point  of  entering  that  ancient  palseocrystic  sea  of 
which  the  geologists  speak, — ice  everywhere,  our  ship  cut- 
ting its  way  through  impinging  ice. 


WINNIPEG  LAKE  AND  RIVER. 

W.  F.  BUTLER. 

[Colonel  W.  F.  Butler,  in  "  The  Great  Lone  Land,"  gives  us  some 
very  interesting  information  about  the  life  and  scenery  of  the  great 
American  Northwest,  from  which  we  select  the  following  description 
of  a  picturesque  lake  and  river.  His  journey  was  made  during  the 
Riel  rebellion,  and  the  traveller  was  on  his  way  to  the  Lake  of  the 
Woods,  where  he  expected  to  meet  an  expedition  sent  for  the  suppres- 
sion of  the  rebellion.  The  Red  River  Indians  gave  him  a  hearty 
send-off.] 

The  chief  gave  a  signal,  and  a  hundred  trading  guns 
were  held  aloft,  and  a  hundred  shots  rang  out  on  the 
morning  air.  Again  and  again  the  salutes  were  repeated, 
the  whole  tribe  moving  down  to  the  water's  edge  to  see  me 
off.  Putting  out  to  the  middle  of  the  river,  I  discharged 
my  fourteen-shooter  into  the  air  in  rapid  succession ;  a 
prolonged  war-whoop  answered  my  salute,  and,  paddling 
their  very  best,  for  the  eyes  of  the  finest  canoers  were 
upon  them,  my  men  drove  the  little  craft  flying  over  the 
water  until  the  Indian  village  and  its  still  firing  braves 
were  hidden  behind  a  river  bend.  Through  many  marsh- 
lined  channels,  and  amidst  a  vast  sea  of  reeds  and  rushes, 
the  Eed  Eiver  of  the  North  seeks  the  water  of  Lake  Win- 
nipeg. A  mixture  of  land  and  water,  of  mud,  and  of  the 
varied  vegetation  which  grows  thereon,  this  delta  of  the 
Eed  Eiver  is,  like  other  spots  of  a  similar  description,  in- 
explicably lonely. 

21* 


246  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Butler 

The  wind  sighs  over  it,  bending  the  tall  weeds  with 
mournful  rustle,  and  the  wild  bird  passes  and  repasses 
with  plaintive  cry  over  the  rushes  which  form  his  summer 
home. 

Emerging  from  the  sedges  of  the  Red  River,  we  shot 
out  into  the  waters  of  an  immense  lake, — a  lake  which 
stretched  away  into  unseen  spaces,  and  over  whose  waters 
the  fervid  July  sun  was  playing  strange  freaks  of  mirage 
and  inverted  shore-land. 

This  was  Lake  Winnipeg, — a  great  lake,  even  on  a  conti- 
nent where  lakes  are  inland  seas.  But  vast  as  it  is  now,  it 
is  only  a  tithe  of  what  it  must  have  been  in  the  earlier  ages 
of  the  earth. 

The  capes  and  headlands  of  what  once  was  a  vast  inland 
sea  now  stand  far  away  from  the  shores  of  Winnipeg. 
Hundreds  of  miles  from  its  present  limits  these  great  land- 
marks still  look  down  on  the  ocean,  but  it  is  an  ocean  of 
grass.  The  waters  of  Winnipeg  have  retired  from  their 
feet,  and  they  are  now  mountain-ridges,  rising  over  seas 
of  verdure.  At  the  bottom  of  this  by-gone  lake  lay  the 
whole  valley  of  the  Red  River,  the  present  Lake  Winne- 
pegoos  and  Manitoba,  and  the  prairie  islands  of  the  Lower 
Assiniboine, — one  hundred  thousand  square  miles  of  water. 
The  water  has  long  since  been  drained  off  by  the  lowering 
of  the  rocky  channels  leading  to  Hudson  Bay,  and  the  bed 
of  the  extinct  lake  now  forms  the  richest  prairie-land  in 
the  world. 

But  although  Winnipeg  has  shrunken  to  a  tenth  of  its 
original  size,  its  rivers  still  remain  worthy  of  the  great 
basin  into  which  they  once  flowed.  The  Saskatchewan  is 
longer  than  the  Danube,  the  Winnipeg  has  twice  the 
volume  of  the  Rhine.  Four  hundred  thousand  square 
miles  of  continent  shed  their  waters  into  Lake  Winnipeg  ; 
a  lake  as  changeful  as  the  ocean,  but,  fortunately  for  us,  in 


Butler]  WINNIPEG  LAKE  AND  RIVER.  247 

its  very  calmest  mood  to-day.  Not  a  wave,  not  a  ripple 
on  its  surface,  not  a  breath  of  breeze  to  aid  the  untiring 
paddles.  The  little  canoe,  weighed  down  by  men  and  pro- 
visions, had  scarcely  three  inches  of  its  gunwale  over  the 
water,  and  yet  the  steersman  held  his  course  far  out  into 
the  glassy  waste,  leaving  behind  the  marshy  headlands 
which  marked  the  river's  mouth. 

A  long  low  point  stretching  from  the  south  shore  of  the 
lake  was  faintly  visible  on  the  horizon.  It  was  past  mid- 
day when  we  reached  it ;  so,  putting  in  among  the  rocky 
boulders  which  lined  the  shore,  we  lighted  our  fire  and 
cooked  our  dinner.  Then,  resuming  our  way,  the  Grand 
Traverse  was  entered  upon.  Far  away  over  the  lake  arose 
the  point  of  the  Big  Stone,  a  lonely  cape  whose  perpen- 
dicular front  was  raised  high  above  the  water.  The  sun 
began  to  sink  towards  the  west;  but  still  not  a  breath 
rippled  the  surface  of  the  lake,  not  a  sail  moved  over  the 
wide  expanse,  all  was  as  lonely  as  though  our  tiny  craft 
had  been  the  sole  speck  of  life  on  the  waters  of  the  world. 
The  red  sun  sank  into  the  lake,  warning  us  that  it  was 
time  to  seek  the  shore  and  make  our  beds  for  the  night. 
A  deep  sandy  bay,  with  a  high  backing  of  woods  and 
rocks,  seemed  to  invite  us  to  its  solitudes.  Steering  in  with 
great  caution  among  the  rocks,  we  landed  in  this  sheltered 
spot,  and  drew  our  boat  upon  the  sandy  beach.  The  shore 
yielded  large  store  of  drift-wood,  the  relics  of  many  a 
northern  gale.  Behind  us  lay  a  trackless  forest,  in  front 
the  golden  glory  of  the  western  sky.  As  the  night  shades 
deepened  around  us  and  the  red  glare  of  our  drift-wood 
fire  cast  its  light  upon  the  woods  and  rocks,  the  scene  be- 
came one  of  rare  beauty. 

As  I  sat  watching  from  a  little  distance  this  picture  so 
full  of  all  the  charms  of  the  wild  life  of  the  voyageur  and 
the  Indian,  I  little  marvelled  that  the  red  child  of  the  lakes 


248  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Butleb 

and  the  woods  should  be  loath  to  quit  such  scenes  for  all 
the  luxuries  of  our  civilization.  Almost  as  I  thought  with 
pity  over  his  fate,  seeing  here  the  treasures  of  nature 
which  were  his,  there  suddenly  emerged  from  the  forest 
two  dusky  forms.  They  were  Ojibbeways,  who  came  to 
share  our  fire  and  our  evening  meal.  The  land  was  still 
their  own.  When  I  lay  down  to  rest  that  night  on  the 
dry  sandy  shore,  I  long  watched  the  stars  above  me.  As 
children  sleep  after  a  day  of  toil  and  pla}r,  so  slept  the 
dusky  men  who  lay  around  me.  It  was  my  first  night 
with  these  poor  wild  sons  of  the  lone  spaces ;  it  was  strange 
and  weird,  and  the  lapping  of  the  mimic  wave  against  the 
rocks  close  by  failed  to  bring  sleep  to  my  thinking  eyes. 

[The  next  day  an  early  start  was  made.] 

We  entered  the  mouth  of  the  Winnipeg  Eiver  at  mid- 
day and  paddled  up  to  Fort  Alexander,  which  stands  about 
a  mile  from  the  river's  entrance.  Here  I  made  my  final 
preparations  for  the  ascent  of  the  Winnipeg,  getting  a  fresh 
canoe  better  adapted  for  forcing  the  rapids,  and  at  five 
o'clock  in  the  evening  started  on  my  journey  up  the  river. 
Eight  miles  above  the  fort  the  roar  of  a  great  fall  of  water 
sounded  through  the  twilight.  In  surge  and  spray  and 
foaming  torrent  the  enormous  volume  of  the  Winnipeg 
was  making  its  last  grand  leap  on  its  waj7  to  mingle  its 
waters  with  the  lake.  On  the  flat  surface  of  an  enormous 
rock  which  stood  well  out  into  the  boiling  water  we  made 
our  fire  and  our  camp. 

The  pine-trees  which  gave  the  fall  its  name  stood  round 
us  dark  and  solemn,  waving  their  long  arms  to  and  fro  in 
the  gusty  winds  that  swept  the  valley.  It  was  a  wild 
picture.  The  pine-trees  standing  in  inky  blackness ;  the 
rushing  water,  white  with  foam  ;  above,  the  rifted  thunder- 
clouds.    Soon  the  lightning  began  to  flash  and  the  voice  of 


Butlkr]  WINNIPEG  LAKE  AND  RIVER.  249 

the  thunder  to  sound  above  the  roar  of  the  cataract.  My 
Indians  made  me  a  rough  shelter  with  cross  poles  and  a 
sail-cloth,  and,  huddling  themselves  together  under  the 
upturned  canoe,  we  slept  regardless  of  the  storm.  .  .  . 

A  man  may  journey  very  far  through  the  lone  spaces 
of  the  earth  without  meeting  with  another  Winnipeg  River. 
In  it  nature  has  contrived  to  place  her  two  great  units  of 
earth  and  water  in  strange  and  wild  combinations.  To  say 
that  the  Winnipeg  River  has  an  immense  volume  of  water, 
that  it  descends  three  hundred  and  sixty  feet  in  a  distance 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty  miles,  that  it  is  full  of  eddies  and 
whirlpools,  of  every  variation  of  waterfall  from  chutes  to 
cataracts,  that  it  expands  into  lonely  pine-cliffed  lakes  and 
far-reaching  island-studded  bays,  that  its  bed  is  cumbered 
with  immense  wave-polished  rocks,  that  its  vast  solitudes 
are  silent  and  its  cascades  ceaselessly  active, — to  say  all  this 
is  but  to  tell  in  bare  items  of  fact  the  narrative  of  its  beauty. 
For  the  Winnipeg  by  the  multiplicity  of  its  perils  and  the 
ever-changing  beauty  of  its  character,  denes  the  descrip- 
tion of  civilized  men  as  it  defies  the  puny  efforts  of  civilized 
travel.  It  seems  part  of  the  savage, — fitted  alone  for  him 
and  for  his  ways,  useless  to  carry  the  burden's  of  man's 
labor,  but  useful  to  shelter  the  wild  things  of  wood  and 
water  which  dwell  in  its  waves  and  along  its  shores.  And 
the  red  man  who  steers  his  little  birch-bark  canoe  through 
the  foaming  rapids  of  the  Winnipeg,  how  well  he  knows  its 
various  ways !  To  him  it  seems  to  possess  life  and  instinct, 
he  speaks  of  it  as  one  would  of  a  high-mettled  charger 
which  will  do  anything  if  he  be  rightly  handled.  It  gives 
him  his  test  of  superiority,  his  proof  of  courage.  To  shoot 
the  Otter  Falls  or-  the  Rapids  of  Barriere,  to  carry  his 
canoe  down  the  whirling  of  Portage-de-1'Isle,  to  lift  her 
from  the  rush  of  water  at  the  Seven  Portages,  or  launch 
her  by  the  edge  of  the  whirlpool  below  the  Chute-a-Jocko, 


250  HALF  HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Butler 

all  this  is  to  be  a  brave  and  a  skilful  Indian,  for  the  man 
who  can  do  all  this  must  possess  a  power  in  the  sweep  of 
his  paddle,  a  quickness  of  glance,  and  a  quiet  consciousness 
of  skill,  not  to  be  found  except  after  generations  of  practice. 
For  hundreds  of  years  the  Indian  has  lived  amidst  these 
rapids,  they  have  been  the  playthings  of  his  boyhood,  the 
realities  of  his  life,  the  instinctive  habit  of  his  old  age. 
What  the  horse  is  to  the  Arab,  what  the  dog  is  to  the 
Esquimaux,  what  the  camel  is  to  those  who  journey  across 
Arabian  deserts,  so  is  the  canoe  to  the  Ojibbeway.  Yonder 
wooded  shore  yields  him  from  first  to  last  the  materials 
he  requires  for  its  construction  :  cedar  for  the  slender  ribs, 
birch  bark  to  cover  them,  juniper  to  stitch  together  the  sepa- 
rate pieces,  red  pine  to  give  resin  for  the  seams  and  crevices. 
By  the  lake  or  river  shore,  close  to  his  wigwam,  the  boat  is 

built ; 

"And  the  forest  life  is  in  it, — 
All  its  mystery  and  its  magic, 
All  the  tightness  of  the  birch-tree, 
All  the  toughness  of  the  cedar, 
All  the  larch's  supple  sinews. 
And  it  floated  on  the  river 
Like  a  yellow  leaf  in  autumn, 
Like  a  yellow  water-lily." 

It  is  not  a  boat,  it  is  a  house ;  it  can  be  carried  long 
distances  overland  from  lake  to  lake.  It  is  frail  beyond 
words,  yet  you  can  load  it  down  to  the  water's  edge ;  it 
carries  the  Indian  by  day,  it  shelters  him  by  night ;  in  it 
he  will  steer  boldly  out  into  a  vast  lake  where  land  is  un- 
seen, or  paddle  through  mud  and  swamp  or  reedy  shallows ; 
sitting  in  it,  he  gathers  his  harvest  of  wild  rice,  or  catches 
his  fish  or  shoots  his  game ;  it  will  dash  down  a  foaming 
rapid,  brave  a  fiercely  running  torrent,  or  lie  like  a  sea 
bird  on  the  placid  water. 

For  six  months  the  canoe  is  the  home  of  the  Ojibbeway. 


Butler]  WINNIPEG  LAKE  AND  RIVER.  251 

While  the  trees  are  green,  while  the  waters  dance  and 
sparkle,  while  the  wild  rice  bends  its  graceful  head  in  the 
lake,  and  the  wild  duck  dwells  amidst  the  rush-covered 
mere,  the  Ojibbeway's  home  is  the  birch-bark  canoe. 
When  the  winter  comes  and  the  lake  and  rivers  harden 
beneath  the  icy  breath  of  the  north  wind,  the  canoe  is  put 
carefully  away ;  covered  with  branches  and  with  snow,  it 
lies  through  the  long  dreary  winter  until  the  wild  swan 
and  the  wavey,  passing  northward  to  the  polar  seas,  call  it 
again  from  its  long  icy  sleep. 

Such  is  the  life  of  the  canoe,  and  such  the  river  along 
which  it  rushes  like  an  arrow. 

The  days  that  now  commenced  to  pass  were  filled  from 
dawn  to  dark  with  moments  of  keenest  enjoyment,  every- 
thing was  new  and  strange,  and  each  hour  brought  with  it 
some  fresh  surprise  of  Indian  skill  or  Indian  scenery. 

The  sun  would  be  just  tipping  the  western  shores  with 
his  first  rays  when  the  canoe  would  be  lifted  from  its  ledge 
of  rock  and  laid  gently  on  the  Avater ;  then  the  blankets 
and  kettles,  the  provisions  and  the  guns,  would  be  placed 
in  it,  and  four  Indians  would  take  their  seats,  while  one 
remained  on  the  shore  to  steady  the  bark  upon  the  water 
and  keep  its  sides  from  contact  with  the  rock ;  then  when 
I  had  taken  my  place  in  the  centre,  the  outside  man  would 
spring  gently  in,  and  we  would  glide  away  from  the  rocky 
resting-place.  To  tell  the  mere  work  of  each  day  is  no 
difficult  matter :  start  at  five  o'clock  a.m.,  halt  for  break- 
fast at  seven  o'clock,  off  again  at  eight,  halt  at  one  o'clock 
for  dinner,  away  at  two  o'clock,  paddle  until  sunset  at 
seven-thirty;  that  was  the  work  of  each  day.  But  how 
shall  I  attempt  to  fill  in  the  details  of  scene  and  cir- 
cumstance between  these  rough  outlines  of  time  and  toil, 
for  almost  every  hour  of  the  long  summer  day  the  great 
Winnipeg  revealed  some  new  phase  of  beauty  and  of  peril, 


252  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Butler 

some  changing  scene  of  lonely  grandeur?  I  have  already- 
stated  that  the  river  in  its  course  from  the  Lake  of  the 
Woods  to  Lake  Winnipeg,  one  hundred  and  sixty  miles, 
makes  a  descent  of  three  hundred  and  sixty  feet. 

This  descent  is  effected  not  by  a  continuous  decline,  but 
by  a  series  of  terraces  at  various  distances  from  each  other ; 
in  other  words,  the  river  forms  innumerable  lakes  and  wide 
expanding  reaches  bound  together  by  rapids  and  perpen- 
dicular falls  of  varying  altitude;  thus  when  the  voyageur 
has  lifted  his  canoe  from  the  foot  of  the  Silver  Falls  and 
launched  it  again  above  the  head  of  that  rapid,  he  will 
have  surmounted  two-and-twenty  feet  of  the  ascent ;  again, 
the  dreaded  Seven  Portages  will  give  him  a  total  rise  of 
sixty  feet  in  a  distance  of  three  miles.  (How  cold  does  the 
bare  narration  of  these  facts  appear  beside  their  actual 
realization  in  a  small  canoe  manned  by  Indians !)  Let  us 
see  if  we  can  picture  one  of  these  many  scenes.  There 
sounds  ahead  a  roar  of  falling  water,  and  we  see,  upon 
rounding  some  pine-clad  island  or  ledge  of  rock,  a  tumbling 
mass  of  foam  and  spray  studded  with  projecting  rocks  and 
flanked  by  dark  wooded  shores ;  above  we  can  see  nothing, 
but  below,  the  waters,  maddened  by  their  wild  rush  amidst 
the  rocks,  surge  and  leap  in  angry  whirlpools.  It  is  as 
wild  a  scene  of  crag  and  wood  and  water  as  the  eye  can 
gaze  upon,  but  we  look  upon  it  not  for  its  beauty,  because 
there  is  no  time  for  that,  but  because  it  is  an  enemy  that 
must  be  conquered. 

Now  mark  how  these  Indians  steal  upon  this  enemy  be- 
fore he  is  aware  of  it.  The  immense  volume  of  water,  es- 
caping from  the  eddies  and  whirlpools  at  the  foot  of  the 
tall,  rushes  on  in  a  majestic  sweep  into  calmer  water;  this 
i  ish  produces  along  the  shores  of  the  river  a  counter-  or 
I  ack-current  which  flows  up  sometimes  close  to  the  foot 
©f  the  fall;  along  this  back-water  the  canoe  is  carefully 


Butler]  WINNIPEG  LAKE  AND  RIVER.  253 

steered,  being  often  not  six  feet  from  the  opposing  rush  in 
the  central  river;  but  the  back-current  in  turn  ends  in  a 
whirlpool,  and  the  canoe,  if  it  followed  this  back-current, 
would  inevitably  end  in  the  same  place.  For  a  minute 
there  is  no  paddling,  the  bow-paddle  and  the  steersman 
alone  keeping  the  boat  in  her  proper  direction  as  she  drifts 
rapidly  up  the  current.  Among  the  crew  not  a  word  is 
spoken,  but  every  man  knows  what  he  has  to  do,  and  will 
be  ready  when  the  moment  comes ;  and  now  the  moment 
has  come,  for  on  one  side  there  foams  along  a  mad  surge 
of  water,  and  on  the  other  the  angry  whirlpool  twists  and 
turns  in  smooth  hollowing  curves  round  an  .axis  of  air, 
whirling  round  it  with  a  strength  that  would  snap  our 
birch  bark  into  fragments,  and  suck  us  down  into  the  great 
depths  below.  All  that  can  be  gained  by  the  back  current 
has  been  gained,  and  now  it  is  time  to  quit  it ;  but  where  ? 
for  there  is  often  only  the  choice  of  the  whirlpool  or  the 
central  river.  Just  on  the  very  edge  of  the  eddy  there  is 
one  loud  shout  given  by  the  bow-paddle,  and  the  canoe 
shoots  full  into  the  centre  of  the  boiling  flood,  driven  by 
the  united  strength  of  the  entire  crew  ;  the  men  work  for 
their  very  lives,  and  the  boat  breasts  across  the  river,  with 
her  head  turned  full  towards  the  falls;  the  waters  foam 
and  dash  about  her,  the  waves  leap  high  over  the  gunwale, 
the  Indians  shout  as  they  dip  their  paddles  like  lightning 
into  the  foam,  and  the  stranger  to  such  a  scene  holds  his 
breath  amidst  this  war  of  man  against  natui-e.  Ha !  the 
struggle  is  useless ;  they  cannot  force  her  against  such  a 
torrent;  we  are  close  to  the  rocks  and  foam;  but  see,  she 
is  driven  down  by  the  current,  in  spite  of  those  wild  fast 
strokes.  The  dead  strength  of  such  a  rushing  flood  must 
prevail.  Yes,  it  is  true,  the  canoe  has  been  driven  back ; 
but  behold,  almost  in  a  second  the  whole  thing  is  done, — we 
float  suddenly  beneath  a  little  rocky  isle  on  the  foot  of  the 

22 


254  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Butler 

cataract.  We  have  crossed  the  river  in  the  face  of  the  fall, 
and  the  portage  landing  is  over  this  rock,  while  three  yards 
out  on  either  side  the  torrent  foams  its  headlong  course. 

Of  the  skill  necessary  to  perform  such  things  it  is  useless 
to  speak.  A  single  false  stroke  and  the  whole  thing  would 
have  failed ;  driven  headlong  down  the  torrent,  another 
attempt  would  have  to  be  made  to  gain  this  rock -protected 
spot,  but  now  we  lie  secure  here ;  spray  all  around  us,  for 
the  rush  of  the  river  is  on  either  side,  and  you  can  touch 
it  with  an  outstretched  paddle.  The  Indians  rest  on  their 
paddles  and  laugh ;  their  long  hair  has  escaped  from  its 
fastening  through  their  exertion,  and  they  retie  it  while 
they  rest.  One  is  already  standing  upon  the  wet,  slippery 
rock,  holding  the  canoe  in  its  place ;  then  the  others  get 
out.  The  freight  is  carried  up,  piece  by  piece,  and  de- 
posited on  the  flat  surface  some  ten  feet  above  ;  that  done, 
the  canoe  is  lifted  out  very  gently,  for  a  single  blow  against 
this  hard  granite  boulder  would  shiver  and  splinter  the 
frail  birch-bark  covering;  they  raise  her  very  carefully  up 
the  steep  face  of  the  cliff  and  rest  again  on  the  top.  What 
a  view  there  is  from  coigne  of  vantage !  We  are  on  the  lip 
of  the  fall ;  on  each  side  it  makes  its  plunge,  and  below  wo 
mark  at  leisure  the  torrent  we  have  just  braved ;  above,  it 
is  smooth  water,  and  away  ahead  we  see  the  foam  of  an- 
other rapid.  The  rock  on  which  we  stand  has  been  worn 
smooth  by  the  washing  of  the  water  during  countless  ages, 
and  from  a  cleft  or  fissure  there  springs  a  pine-tree  or  a 
rustling  aspen.  We  have  crossed  the  Petit  Eoches,  and 
our  course  is  onward  still. 

Through  many  scenes  like  this  we  held  our  way  during 
the  last  days  of  July.  The  weather  was  beautiful;  now 
and  then  a  thunder-storm  would  roll  along  during  the 
night,  but  the  morning  sun,  rising  clear  and  bright,  would 
almost  tempt  one  to  believe  that  it  had  been  a  dream,  if 


Finck]  A   FINE  SCENICT ROUTE.  255 

the  pools  of  water  in  the  hollows  of  the  rocks  and  the 
dampness  of  blanket  or  oil-cloth  had  not  proved  the  sun  a 
humbug.  Our  general  distance  each  day  would  be  about 
thirty-two  miles,  with  an  average  of  six  portages.  At  sun- 
set we  made  our  camp  on  some  rocky  isle  or  shelving 
shore :  one  or  two  cut  wood,  another  got  the  cooking 
things  ready,  a  fourth  gummed  the  seams  of  the  canoe, 
a  fifth  cut  shavings  from  a  dry  stick  for  the  fire;  for  my- 
self, I  generally  took  a  plunge  in  the  cool,  delicious  water; 
and  soon  the  supper  hissed  in  the  pans,  the  kettle  steamed 
from  its  suspending  stick,  and  the  evening  meal  was  eaten 
with  appetites  such  as  only  the  voyageur  can  understand. 

Then  when  the  shadows  of  the  night  had  fallen  around 
and  all  was  silent,  save  the  river's  tide  against  the  rocks, 
we  would  stretch  our  blankets  on  the  springy  moss  of  the 
crag,  and  lie  down  to  sleep  with  only  the  stars  for  a  roof. 

Happy,  happy  days  were  these, — days  the  memory  of 
which  goes  very  far  into  the  future,  growing  brighter  as 
we  journey  farther  away  from  them;  for  the  scenes  through 
which  our  course  was  laid  were  such  as  speak  in  whispers, 
only  when  we  have  left  them, — the  whispers  of  the  pine- 
tree,  the  music  of  running  water,  the  stillness  of  great 
lonely  lakes. 


A  FINE  SCENIC  ROUTE. 

HENRY   T.  FINCK. 

[From  Henry  T.  Finck's  "The  Pacific  Coast  Scenic  Tour"  we 
6elect  the  following  description  of  the  Canadian  Pacific  Railway  route, 
which  is  acknowledged  to  possess  a  long  succession  of  grand  and 
beautiful  scenery,  unequalled  by  any  other  railroad  route  in  America. 
The  description  is  too  long  a  one  to  be  given  in  full,  and  for  further 
acquaintance  with  it  the  reader  must  be  referred  to  the  book  itself.] 


256  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Finck 

After  leaving  Vancouver,  and  before  reaching  West- 
minster, the  train  for  some  time  runs  along  Burrard  Inlet, 
on  which  is  situated  Fort  Moody,  another  town  which  had 
hoped  to  be  chosen  as  terminus,  and  actually  did  enjoy 
that  privilege  for  a  short  time.  The  shores  of  the  inlet  are 
beautifully  wooded,  and  some  of  the  trees  are  of  enormous 
size.  At  the  crossing  of  Stave  River  a  fine  view  is  ob- 
tained of  Mount  Baker,  looking  forward  to  the  right ;  and 
the  bridge  over  the  Harrison  River,  where  it  meets  the 
Frazer,  also  affords  a  picturesque  view.  For  the  next  fif- 
teen or  sixteen  hours  the  train  follows  the  banks  of  the 
Frazer  River  and  its  tributaries,  and  this  is  one  of  the 
grandest  sections  of  the  route. 

At  the  first  the  Frazer  is  a  muddy,  yellow  river,  about 
the  size  of  the  Willamette  above  Oregon  City,  but  more 
rapid  and  winding,  and  an  occasional  steamer  may  be  seen 
floating  along  with  the  current,  or  slowly  making  headway 
against  it.  In  some  places  the  railway  runs  so  close  to  the 
precipitous  bank  of  the  river  that  a  handkerchief  might 
be  dropped  from  a  car  window  into  the  swirling  eddies, 
fifty  feet  below.  At  other  places  it  leaves  room — and  just 
room  enough — for  the  old  wagon-road  between  the  track 
and  the  river ;  but  it  would  take  a  cool  driver,  with  much 
confidence  in  his  horses,  to  remain  on  his  wagon  here  when 
a  train  passes.  At  last  the  road  itself  becomes  frightened 
and  crosses  the  river  on  a  bridge,  whereupon  it  winds  along 
the  hill-side  above  the  opposite  bank,  at  a  safe  distance. 

This  road  was  made  during  the  Frazer  River  gold  ex- 
citement in  1858,  when  twenty-five  thousand  miners  flocked 
into  this  region,  and  wages  for  any  kind  of  work  were  ten 
to  eighteen  dollars  a  day.  To-day  the  metal  no  longer 
oxists  in  what  white  men  consider  paying  quantity;  but 
Chinamen  may  still  be  seen  along  the  river,  washing  for 
remnants,  their  earnings  being  about  fifty  cents  a  day. 


Finck]  A   FINE  SCENIC  ROUTE.  257 

There  is  also  a  "  Euby  Creek"  in  this  neighborhood,  and 
some  Indian  habitations  and  salmon-fishing  places.  Shortly 
before  reaching  Yale,  which  for  a  long  time  was  the  west- 
ern end  of  the  road,  there  is  a  slight  intermission  in  the 
scenic  drama,  represented  by  some  rich,  level,  agricultural 
lands,  as  if  to  give  the  passengers  a  moment's  rest  before 
the  wonders  of  the  Frazer  Canon  begin  to  monopolize  their 
bewildered  attention  till  darkness  sets  in  and  drops  the 
curtain  on  the  superb  panorama. 

Yale,  which  is  so  completely  shut  in  by  high,  frowning 
mountain  walls  on  every  side  that  the  sun  touches  the 
village  only  during  part  of  the  day,  has  lost  its  impor- 
tance since  it  ceased  to  be  a  terminus,  and  seems  at  present 
to  be  inhabited  chiefly  by  Indians  and  half-breeds.  The 
train  is  invaded  by  a  bevy  of  half-breed  girls  with  baskets 
of  splendid  apples  and  pears,  which  could  not  beaten  for 
size  and  flavor  in  any  of  our  States,  and  indicate  a  possible 
use  for  these  mountain  regions  in  the  future.  And  now 
the  train  plunges  into  the  midst  of  the  series  of  terrific 
gorges  which  constitute  the  Frazer  Canon,  and  which 
makes  this  railway  literally  the  most  gorge-ous  in  the 
world.  Here  were  appalling  engineering  difficulties  to 
overcome,  which  no  private  corporation  without  the  most 
liberal  government  support  could  have  undertaken.  Yet 
the  builders  had  to  be  thankful  even  for  this  wild  and 
rugged  canon  dug  out  by  the  Frazer  River,  without  which 
the  Cascade  range  would  have  been  impassable. 

The  palace  cars  of  the  Canadian  Pacific,  which  contain 
all  the  best  features  of  the  Pullman  cars,  with  home  im- 
provements, have  a  special  observatory,  with  largo  win- 
dows, at  the  end  of  the  train,  whence  the  caiion  should  be 
viewed ;  but  to  see  it  at  its  best  one  must  sit  on  the  rear 
platform,  so  as  to  see  at  the  same  time  both  of  the  wild 
and  precipitous  canon  walls,  between  which  the  river 
i.— r  22* 


258  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Finck 

rushes  along  as  if  pursued  by  demons.  At  every  curve 
you  think  the  gorge  must  come  to  an  end,  but  it  only 
grows  more  stupendous,  and  the  river,  lashed  into  foam 
and  fury,  dashes  blindly  against  the  rocks  which  try  to 
arrest  its  course.  These  rocks,  ten  to  thirty  feet  wide  and 
sometimes  twice  as  long,  form  many  pretty  little  stone 
islands  in  the  middle  of  the  torrent,  and  are  a  character- 
istic feature  of  the  canon  scenery.  Numerous  tunnels, 
resembling  those  on  the  Columbia  Eiver,  are  built  through 
arches  seemingly  projecting  over  the  river.  The  train 
plunges  into  them  recklessly,  but  always  comes  out  fresh 
and  smiling  on  the  other  side,  although  it  seems  that  if  the 
bottom  of  the  tunnel  should  by  any  chance  drop  out,  the 
train  would  be  precipitated  into  the  river  below. 

Once  in  a  while  the  river  takes  a  short  rest,  and  in  these 
comparatively  calm  stretches  hundreds  of  beautiful  large 
red  fish  can  be  seen  from  the  train,  in  the  clear  water,  strug- 
gling up-stream.  With  their  dark  backs  and  bright  red 
sides  they  form  a  sight  which  is  none  the  less  interesting 
when  you  are  told  that  they  are  "  only  dog  salmon,"  which 
are  not  relished  by  whites,  though  the  Indians  eat  them. 

[A  night  now  passes,  during  which  much  fine  scenery  is  missed. 
But  the  best  is  reserved  for  the  next  day.] 

Scenic  wonders  now  succeed  one  another  with  bewilder- 
ing rapidity  throughout  the  day.  This  second  day,  in  fact, 
represents  the  climax  of  the  trip,  and  the  attention  is  not 
allowed  to  flag  for  a  second.  However  much  such  a  con- 
fession may  go  against  the  grain  of  patriotism,  every  can- 
did traveller  must  admit  that  there  is  nothing  in  the  United 
States  in  the  way  of  massive  mountain  scenery  (except, 
perhaps,  in  Alaska)  to  compare  with  the  glorious  pano- 
rama which  is  unfolded  on  this  route.  AVithin  thirty-six 
hours  after  leaving  Vancouver  we  traverse  three  of  the 


Finck]  A  FINE  SCENIC  ROUTE.  259 

grandest  mountain  ranges  in  America, — the  Cascades,  Sel- 
kirks,  and  Rockies, — all  of  them  the  abode  of  eternal  snow 
and  glaciers,  and  all  of  them  traversed  through  by  cafions 
which  vie  with  each  other  in  terrific  grandeur. 

Before  the  Selkirks  are  reached  the  train  passes  the  Co- 
lumbia or  Gold  range,  through  the  Eagle  Pass,  so  called 
because  it  was  discovered  by  watching  an  eagle's  flight. 
Eagle's  Pass  is  a  poetic  and  appropriate  name,  and  yet  I 
think  it  would  be  well  to  rename  this  mountain  pass  and 
call  it  Mirror  Lake  Canon,  because  that  would  call  the  at- 
tention of  tourists  to  what  is  its  most  characteristic  feature, 
which  may  otherwise  be  overlooked.     There  are  four  lakes 
and  many  smaller  bodies  of  water  in  this  valley,  in  whose 
placid  surface  the  finely-sloped  mountain  ridges  and  sum- 
mits of  the  pass  are  reflected  with  marvellous  distinctness, 
so  that  here,  as  in  the  Yosemite  Mirror  Lake,  the  copy  is 
more  lovely  than  the  original.     Some  of  the  mountain-sides 
reflected  in  these  mirrors  are  naked  rocks,  others  are  cov- 
vered  with  living  evergreen  trees,  and  others  still  with  dead 
trees.     In  the  mirror  these  dead  forests  look  hardly  less 
beautiful  than  the  living  ones ;  but  in  the  original  the  eye 
dwells  with  more  pleasure  on  the  green  forests  which  here, 
and  almost  everywhere  in  British   Columbia,  grow  with 
the  rank  luxuriance  of  a  Ceylon  jungle.     The  soil  under 
these  dense  tree-masses,  consisting  of  decayed  pine-  and  fir- 
needles, a  foot  deep,  and  always  moist,  makes  a  paradise  for 
lovely  mosses  and  ferns.     Here,  also,  is  the  home  of  the 
bear,  and  one  would  not  have  to  walk  far  in  this  thicket 
to  encounter  a  grizzly,  black,  or  cinnamon  bruin. 

On  emerging  from  the  Mirror  Lake  Canon,  a  great  sur- 
prise awaits  the  passengers.  The  Columbia  River — to 
which  they  had  fancied  they  had  said  a  final  farewell  when 
they  were  ferried  across  it  on  the  way  from  Portland  to 
Tacoma — suddenly  comes  upon  the  scene  again,  as  clear 


260  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Finck 

and  as  picturesque  as  ever ;  and  even  at  this  immense  dis- 
tance from  its  mouth  still  large  enough  to  require  a  bridge 
half  a  mile  long  to  cross  it.  A  few  hours  later  the  train 
again  crosses  the  Columbia,  at  Donald,  where  the  river  has 
become  much  smaller  than  it  seems  that  it  should  in  such 
a  short  distance. 

To  get  an  explanation  of  this  circumstance,  it  is  interest- 
ing to  glance  at  the  map  and  notice  what  an  immense 
curve  northward  the  Columbia  has  made  in  this  interval 
in  order  to  find  a  passage  through  the  Selkirk  range ;  and 
in  thus  encircling  the  snowy  Selkirks  it  has,  of  course, 
added  to  its  volume  the  contents  of  innumerable  glacier 
streams  and  mountain  brooks.  Its  real  sources  are  south- 
east of  Donald,  on  the  summit  of  the  Rockies,  separated 
by  but  a  short  distance  from  springs  which  run  down  on 
the  eastern  side  and  find  their  way  through  the  Mississippi 
into  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  Thus  do  extremes  meet.  It 
would  be  difficult  to  find  anything  so  curious  in  the  course 
of  any  other  river  as  this  immense,  irregular  parallelogram 
which  the  Columbia  here  describes  from  its  sources  to 
Arrow  Lake.  .  .  . 

The  snow-peaks  of  the  Selkirks  are  now  looming  up  on 
all  sides,  and  the  atmosphere  becomes  more  bracing  and 
Alpine  as  the  train  slowly  creeps  up  the  mountain-side, 
doubling  up  on  itself  in  a  loop.  The  Glacier  House  is 
reached  before  long,  and  here  every  tourist  who  has  time 
to  spare  should  get  off  and  spend  a  day  or  two,  since  next 
to  Banff,  in  the  National  Park,  this  is  the  finest  point 
along  the  whole  route,  scenically  speaking,  while  the  air  is 
even  more  salubrious,  cool,  and  intoxicating  than  at  Banff, 
owing  to  the  nearness  of  the  glacier.  It  would  be  difficult, 
even  in  Switzerland,  to  find  a  more  romantic  spot  for  a 
hotel  than  the  location  of  the  Glacier  House.  High  peaks 
rise  up  on  every  side,  so  finely  moulded,  so  deeply  mantled 


Finck]  A    FINE  SCENIC   ROUTE.  261 

with  snow,  and  presenting  such  various  aspects  from 
different  points  of  view,  that  we  forget  our  disgust  at  the 
fact  that,  as  usual  in  the  West,  these  grand  eternal  peaks 
have  been  named  after  ephemeral  mortals, — Browns, 
Smiths,  and  Joneses.  The  Grizzly  and  Cougar  Mountains 
are  more  aptly  named,  as  these  animals  will  long  continue 
to  abound  in  the  impenetrable  forests  which  adorn  these 
peaks  below  the  snow-line.  Looking  from  the  hotel  to- 
wards the  glacier,  to  the  left  is  a  peak  which  looks  like  the 
Matterhorn,  the  most  unique  mountain  in  Switzerland,  and, 
what  is  still  more  striking,  at  its  side  is  another  smaller 
peak,  which  is  an  exact  copy  of  the  Little  Matterhorn.  .  .  . 

The  principal  difference  between  the  Swiss  Alps  and  the 
Selkirk  range  lies  in  the  aspect  of  the  mountain-sides 
below  the  snow-line.  These,  in  Switzerland,  are  green 
meadows  dotted  with  browsing  cows,  and  presenting  one 
unbroken  mass  of  dark  green,  except  where  an  avalanche 
has  tobogganed  down  and  opened  what  seems  at  a  distance 
like  a  roadway,  but  is  found  to  be  a  battle-field  strewn 
with  the  corpses  of  cedars  three  and  four  feet  in  diameter. 

The  most  imposing  view  of  such  a  mountain  forest  un- 
broken by  a  single  avalanche  path  is  obtained  from  the 
snow-sheds  just  ahove  the  hotel.  Sitting  outside  these 
sheds  and  looking  towards  the  left,  you  see  a  vast  mountain 
slope  covered  with  literally  millions  of  dark-green  trees. 
Why  has  none  of  the  world's  greatest  poets  ever  been 
permitted  to  gaze  on  such  a  Selkirk  forest,  that  he  mi<^ht 
have  aroused  in  his  unfortunate  readers  who  are  not 
privileged  to  see  one  emotions  similar  to  those  inspired 
by  it?  But  I  fear  that  neither  verse  nor  photographs,  nor 
even  the  painter's  brush,  can  ever  more  than  suggest  the 
real  grandeur  of  such  a  forest  scene.  This  mountain  is 
not  snow-crowned  in  September,  but  its  wooded  summit 
makes  a  sharp  green  line  against  the  snow-peaks  beyond 


262  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Finck 

and  above.  From  this  summit  down  to  the  foot  stand  the 
giant  cedars,  as  crowded  as  the  yellow  stalks  in  a  Minnesota 
wheatfield.  But  in  place  of  the  flat  monochrome  of  a 
wheatfield,  our  sloping  forest  presents  a  most  fascinating 
color  spectacle.  The  slanting  rays  of  the  sun  tinge  the 
waving  tree-tops  with  a  deeply  saturated  yellowish-green, 
curiously  interspersed  with  a  mosaic  of  dark,  almost  black 
streaks  and  patches  of  shade,  due  to  clouds  and  other  causes, 
and  the  whole  edged  by  the  dazzling  snow. 

If  we  descend  and  enter  this  forest,  a  cathedral-like  awe 
thrills  the  nerves.  Daylight  has  not  the  power  to  pene- 
trate to  the  ground  hidden  by  this  dense  mass  of  tree-tops 
rising  two  hundred  to  three  hundred  feet  into  the  air, — 
except  that  an  occasional  ray  of  sunlight  may  steal  in  for 
a  second,  like  a  flash  of  lightning.  And  the  carpet  on 
which  this  forest  stands!  In  America  we  rarely  see  a 
house,  even  of  a  day-laborer,  without  a  carpet ;  why,  then, 
should  these  royal  trees  do  without  one  ?  The  carpet  is 
itself  a  minature  forest  of  ferns  and  mosses,  luxuriating 
in  riotous  profusion  on  an  ever-moist  soil,  the  product  of 
thousands  of  generations  of  pine-needles.  !Nor  is  this 
carpet  a  monochrome,  for  the  green  is  varied  by  numerous 
berries  of  various  kinds,  most  of  which  are  red,  as  they 
should  be, — the  complementary  color  of  green.  But  there 
are  also  acres  of  blueberries  as  large  as  cherries ;  and  if 
you  will  tear  off  a  few  branches  of  these  and  bring  them 
to  the  young  bear  chained  up  near  the  Glacier  Hotel,  he 
will  be  very  grateful,  and  you  will  find  it  amusing  to  watch 
him  eating  them. 

There  is  music,  too,  in  this  Forest  Cathedral,  which  is 
heard  to  best  advantage  from  the  elevated  gallery  occupied 
by  the  snow-sheds.  It  takes  a  trained  ear  to  distinguish 
the  steady,  rippling  staccato  sound  of  a  snow- fed  moun- 
tain  brook   from    the    prolonged    legato   sigh   of   a  pine 


Pinck]  A   FINE  SCENIC  ROUTE.  263 

forest,  swelling  to  fortissimo,  and  dying  away  by  turns. 
In  the  romantic  spot  we  have  chosen  these  sounds  are 
blended,  the  music  of  the  torrents  being  caught  up  by  the 
sloping  forest  as  by  a  huge  sounding-board,  and  increased 
in  loudness  by  being  mingled  with  the  mournful  strains 
of  the  tree-tops,  as  orchestral  colors  are  blended  by 
modern  masters.  Those  err  who  say  there  is  no  music  in 
nature.  It  is  not  in  "  Siegfried"  alone  that  the  Waldweben 
is  musical,  that  leaves  sing  as  well  as  birds,  while  the 
thunder  occasionally  adds  its  loud  basso  prof  undo.  The 
aesthetic  exhilaration  which  we  owe  to  these  poetic  sights 
and  sounds  is  intensified  by  the  salubrious  breezes  which 
waft  this  music  to  our  ears.  Born  among  the  clouds  and 
glaciers,  they  are  perfumed  in  passing  across  the  forests, 
warmed  by  the  sun's  rays  in  passing  over  the  valley;  and 
every  breath  of  this  elixir  adds  a  day  to  one's  life.  It  is 
not  surprising  that  mountains  should  make  the  best  health- 
resorts  ;  for  do  they  not  themselves  understand  and  obey 
the  laws  of  health  ?  They  keep  their  heads  cool  under  a 
snow-cap,  their  feet  warm  in  a  mossy  blanket,  and  their 
sides  covered  with  a  dense  fir  overcoat.  .  .  . 

For  the  greater  part  of  the  two  hours  which  the  train 
requires  to  go  from  Donald  to  Golden  City  it  passes  along 
the  bank  of  the  Columbia  River;  and  there  is,  perhaps,  no 
part  of  the  whole  route  where  grandeur  and  beauty  are  so 
admirably  united  as  here,  especially  in  the  autumn.  Tho 
grandeur  lies  in  the  snowy  summits  which  frame  in  this 
Columbia  valley — the  Selkirks  on  one  side,  the  Rockies  on 
the  other.  The  beauty  lies  in  tho  river  itself  and  in  the 
young  trees  and  bushes  along  its  banks,  dressed  in  fall 
styles  and  colors,  some  as  richly  yellow  as  a  golden-rod, 
others  as  deeply  purple  or  crimson  as  fuchsias  or  begonias, 
the  yellow  predominating.  These  colored  trees  occur  in 
groups  and  streaks  along  the  river,  and  in  isolated  patches 


264  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Finck 

on  the  mountain-sides,  where  they  might  be  mistaken  for 
brown  mosses  or  lichen-colored  rocks.  There  may  be  as 
beautifully  colored  trees  in  our  Eastern  forests,  but  they 
are  not  mixed,  as  here,  with  young  evergreen  pines,  nor 
have  they  a  framework  of  snow  mountains,  like  these,  to 
enhance  their  beauty. 

High  up  on  the  ridges  there  is  another  variety  of  trees 
of  a  beautiful  russet  color  set  off  by  a  deep-blue  sky. 
Talk  of  color  symphonies.  Here  they  are— miles  of  them 
— long  as  a  Wagner  trilogy,  and  as  richly  orchestrated. 
Even  the  masses  of  blackened  logs  and  stumps— if  one  can 
set  aside  for  the  moment  all  thought  of  pity  for  the  poor 
charred  trees,  so  happy  before  the  fire  in  their  green  luxu- 
riance, and  of  the  sad  waste  of  useful  timber— enhance  the 
charm  of  this  scene  by  contrast. 

I  have  said  that  the  time-table  of  the  Canadian  Pacific 
Eailway  is  so  arranged  that  the  finest  scenery  is  passed  in 
daylight,  in  both  directions ;  but  of  course  there  must  be 
exceptions,  and,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  as  long  as  the  road 
crosses  the  three  great  mountain  ranges  of  the  Cascades,  Sel- 
kirks,  and  Rockies,  there  is  hardly  a  mile  that  does  not  offer 
something  worth  seeing.  Consequently,  as  darkness  again 
closes  in  soon  after  leaving  Golden,  east-bound  passengers 
must  resign  themselves  to  lose  sight  of  the  Kicking  Horse 
Canon,  the  Beaverfoot  and  Ottertail  Mountains,  the  large 
glacier  on  Mount  Stephen,  etc.,— which  is  all  the  more  pro- 
voking as  they  have  to  sit  up  anyway  till  midnight,  when 
Banff  is  reached ;  for,  of  course,  every  tourist  who  is  in  his 
riirht  senses  and  not  a  slave  to  duty  gets  off  here  to  spend 
a  few  days  in  the  Canadian  National  Park. 

[The  description  of  this  park  we  can  give  only  in  summary.] 

Summing  up  on  the  Canadian  National  Park,  we  may 
say  it  has  not  so  many  natural  wonders  as  the  Yellowstone 


Finck]  A   FINE  SCENIC  ROUTE.  265 

Park, — no  geysers,  steam-holes,  gold-bottomed  rivulets, 
paint-pots,  nor  anything  to  place  beside  the  Yellowstone 
Canon  and  Falls.  But  the  Minnewonka  Lake  may  fairly 
challenge  comparison  with  the  Yellowstone  Lake,  and  the 
mountain  scenery  is  grander  in  the  Canadian  Park,  and 
the  snow  and  glaciers  are  nearer,  though  not  so  near  as  at 
the  Glacier  House,  where  the  air  is  in  consequence  cooler 
and  more  bracing  in  summer  than  even  at  Banff.  As  the 
Canadian  Park  is  only  twenty-six  miles  long  and  ten 
wide,  while  the  Yellowstone  Park  is  about  sixty-two  by 
fifty-four  miles,  the  former  can  be  seen  in  much  less  time 
than  it  takes  to  do  justice  to  the  latter. 

When  we  get  ready  to  leave  Banff  we  have  to  take  the 
midnight  train,  so  there  is  no  chance  to  say  good-by  to  the 
mountains.  But'  we  have  seen  so  much  of  them  since 
leaving  Vancouver,  that  we  have  felt  almost  tempted  to 
cry  out  to  Nature,  "  Hold,  enough  ;  less  would  be  more !" 
Now  we  get  ample  opportunity  to  ruminate  in  peace  over 
our  crowded  impressions.  When  we  get  up  we  are  on  the 
prairie ;  we  go  to  bed  in  the  prairie,  after  traversing  a  ter- 
ritory larger  than  a  European  kingdom ;  again  we  rise  on 
the  prairie,  and  again  go  to  bed  on  it;  and  not  till  Lake 
Superior  is  approached  does  the  scenery  once  more  become 
interesting.  .  .  . 

As  a  general  thing,  it  is  no  doubt  wiser  to  take  the 
Canadian  Pacific  Railway  westward  than  eastward,  as  the 
scenic  climax  is  on  the  western  side.  However,  it  is  quite 
possible  to  avoid  the  feeling  of  anti-climax  on  going  east, 
if  we  conclude  the  trip  with  the  Thousand  Islands  and  the 
Rapids  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  together  with  Montreal;  or 
with  Niagara  Falls  and  the  Hudson  River.  The  Pacific 
slope,  no  doubt,  is  scenically  far  more  attractive  than  the 
Atlantic ;  still,  there  are  some  things  in  the  East  which 
even  California  would  be  proud  to  add  to  her  attractions. 
m  23 


2G6  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Fremont 


SOUTH  PASS  AND  FREMONT'S  PEAK. 

JOHN   C.  FREMONT. 

[Captain  John  Charles  Fremont,  one  of  the  earliest  government 
explorers  of  the  Rocky  Mountain  region  and  the  Pacific  slope,  was 
born  at  Savannah,  Georgia,  in  1813.  Becoming  a  civil  engineer  in  the 
government  service,  in  1842  he  explored  the  South  Pass  of  the  Rocky- 
Mountains,  ascending  in  August  the  highest  peak  in  the  Wind  River 
ran>j;e.  This  has  since  been  known  as  Fremont's  Peak.  In  the  fol- 
lowing year  he  explored  Great  Salt  Lake.  In  1845  he  led  a  third 
expedition  to  the  Pacific,  and  during  the  Mexican  war  was  instru- 
mental in  securing  California  for  the  United  States.  He  led  subse- 
quent expeditions  westward,  was  Republican  candidate  for  the  Presi- 
dency in  1856,  served  during  the  war,  and  in  1878-82  was  governor 
of  Arizona.  He  died  in  1890.  "We  subjoin  his  account  of  the  crossing 
of  the  South  Pass  and  discovery  and  ascent  of  Fremont's  Peak.] 

The  view  [of  the  Wind  Eiver  Mountains]  dissipated  in 
a  moment  the  pictures  which  had  been  created  in  our 
minds  by  many  travellers  who  have  compared  these  moun- 
tains with  the  Alps  in  Switzerland,  and  speak  of  the  glit- 
tering peaks  which  rise  in  icy  majesty  amidst  the  eternal 
glaciers  nine  or  ten  thousand  feet  into  the  region  of  eternal 
snows. 

[Continuing  their  course,  they  encamped  on  August  7  near  the  South 
Pass,  and  the  next  morning  set  out  for  the  dividing  ridge.] 

About  six  miles  from  our  encampment  brought  us  to 
the  summit.  The  ascent  had  been  so  gradual  that,  with 
all  the  intimate  knowledge  possessed  by  Carson,  who  had 
made  the  country  his  home  for  seventeen  years,  we  were 
obliged  to  watch  very  closely  to  find  the  place  at  which  we 
reached  the  culminating  point.    This  was  between  two  low 


Fremont]     SOUTH  PASS  AND   FREMONT'S  PEAK.        267 

hills,  rising  on  either  hand  fifty  or  sixty  feet.  When  I 
looked  hack  at  them,  from  the  foot  of  the  immediate  slope 
on  the  western  plain,  their  summits  appeared  to  be  about 
one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  above.  From  the  impression 
on  my  mind  at  this  time,  and  subsequently  on  our  return, 
I  should  compare  the  elevation  which  we  mounted  imme- 
diately at  the  Pass  to  the  ascent  of  the  Capitol  hill  from 
the  avenue  at  Washington.  It  is  difficult  for  me  to  fix 
positively  the  breadth  of  this  pass.  From  the  broken 
ground  where  it  commences,  at  the  foot  of  the  White 
River  chain,  the  view  to  the  southeast  is  over  a  champaign 
country,  broken,  at  the  distance  of  nineteen  miles,  by  the 
Table  Rock,  which,  with  the  other  isolated  hills  in  its 
vicinity,  seem  to  stand  in  a  comparative  plain.  This  I 
judged  to  be  its  termination,  the  ridge  recovering  its 
rugged  character  with  the  Table  Rock. 

It  will  be  seen  that  it  in  no  manner  resembles  the  places 
to  which  the  term  is  commonly  applied, — nothing  of  the 
gorge-like  character  and  winding  ascents  of  the  Alleghany 
passes  in  America;  nothing  of  the  Great  St.  Bernard  and 
Simplon  passes  in  Europe.  Approaching  it  from  the  mouth 
of  the  Sweet  Water,  a  sandy  plain,  one  hundred  and  twenty 
miles  long,  conducts,  by  a  gradual  and  regular  ascent,  to 
the  summit,  about  seven  thousand  feet  above  the  sea ;  and 
the  traveller,  without  being  reminded  of  any  change  by 
toilsome  ascents,  suddenly  finds  himself  on  the  waters 
which  flow  to  the  Pacific  Ocean.  By  the  route  we  had 
travelled,  the  distance  from  Fort  Laramie  is  three  hundred 
and  twenty  miles,  or  niue  hundred  and  fifty  from  the 
mouth  of  the  Kansas. 

[They  continued  their  course  westward,  crossing  several  tributaries 
of  the  Colorado  River,  and  on  the  10th  reached  unexpectedly  a  beautiful 

lake.] 


268  BALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Fremont 

Here  a  view  of  the  intensest  magnificence  and  grandeur 
burst  upon  our  eyes.  With  nothing  between  us  and  their 
feet  to  lessen  the  effect  of  the  whole  height,  a  grand  bed 
of  snow-capped  mountains  rose  before  us,  pile  upon  piie, 
glowing  in  the  bright  light  of  an  August  day.  Immediately 
below  them  lay  the  lake,  between  two  ridges,  covered  with 
dark  pines,  which  swept  down  from  the  main  chain  to  the 
spot  where  we  stood.  "  Never  before,"  said  Mr.  Preuss, 
"  in  this  country  or  in  Europe,  have  I  seen  such  grand, 
magnificent  rocks."  I  was  so  much  pleased  with  the 
beauty  of  the  place  that  I  determined  to  make  the  main 
camp  here,  where  our  animals  would  find  good  pasturage, 
and  explore  the  mountains  with  a  small  party  of  men. 

[On  the  12th  this  party  set  out,  crossing  intervening  hills,  and 
ascending  through  dense  forests  to  the  summit  of  the  ridge.] 

We  had  reached  a  very  elevated  point,  and  in  the  valley 
below,  and  among  the  hills,  were  a  number  of  lakes  of  dif- 
ferent levels,  some  two  or  three  hundred  feet  above  others, 
with  which  they  communicated  by  foaming  torrents.  Even 
to  our  great  height  the  roar  of  the  cataracts  came  up,  and 
we  could  see  them  leaping  down  in  lines  of  snowy  foam. 
From  this  scene  of  busy  waters  we  turned  abruptly  into 
the  stillness  of  a  forest,  where  we  rode  among  the  open  bolls 
of  the  pines,  over  a  lawn  of  verdant  grass,  having  strikingly 
the  air  of  cultivated  grounds.  This  led  us,  after  a  time, 
among  masses  of  rock,  which  had  no  vegetable  earth  but  in 
hollows  and  crevices,  though  still  the  pine-forest  continued. 
Towards  evening  we  reached  a  defile,  or  rather  a  hole  in 
the  mountains,  entirely  shut  in  by  dark  pine-covered  rocks. 

[In  the  morning  they  ascended  a  mountain  stream,  to  its  source  in 
a  small  lake  surrounded  by  a  lawn-like  expanse.] 

Hero  I  determined  to  leave  our  animals,  and  make  the 
rest  of  our  way  on  foot.     The  peak  appeared  so  near  that 


Fremont]     SOUTH  PASS  AND  FREMONT'S  PEAK.        2G9 

there  was  no  doubt  of  our  returning  before  night;  and  a 
few  men  were  left  in  charge  of  the  muies,  with  our  pro- 
visions and  blankets.  We  took  with  us  nothing  but  our 
arms  and  instruments,  and,  as  the  day  had  become  warm, 
the  greater  part  left  our  coats.  Having  made  an  early 
dinner,  we  started  again.  We  were  soon  involved  in  the 
most  rugged  precipices,  nearing  the  central  chain  very 
slowly,  and  rising  but  little.  The  first  ridge  hid  a  succes- 
sion of  others ;  and  when,  with  great  fatigue  and  diffi- 
culty, we  had  climbed  up  five  hundred  feet,  it  was  but  to 
make  an  equal  descent  on  the  other  side ;  all  these  inter- 
vening places  were  filled  with  small  deep  lakes,  which  met 
the  eye  in  every  direction,  descending  from  one  level  to 
another,  sometimes  under  bridges  formed  by  huge  frag- 
ments of  granite,  beneath  which  was  heard  the  roar  of  the 
water.  These  constantly  obstructed  our  path,  forcing  us 
to  make  long  detours;  frequently  obliged  to  retrace  our 
steps,  and  frequently  falling  among  the  rocks.  Maxwell 
was  precipitated  towards  the  face  of  a  precipice,  and  saved 
himself  from  going  over  by  throwing  himself  flat  on  the 
ground.  We  clambered  on,  always  expecting,  with  every 
ridge  that  we  crossed,  to  reach  the  foot  of  the  peaks,  and 
always  disappointed,  until  about  four  o'clock,  when,  pretty 
well  worn  out,  we  reached  the  shore  of  a  little  lake,  in 
which  was  a  rocky  island. 

By  the  time  we  had  reached  the  farther  side  of  the  lake 
we  found  ourselves  all  exceedingly  fatigued,  and,  much  to 
the  satisfaction  of  the  whole  party,  we  encamped.  The 
spot  we  had  chosen  was  a  broad,  flat  rock,  in  some  meas- 
ure protected  from  the  winds  by  the  surrounding  crags, 
and  the  trunks  of  fallen  pines  afforded  us  bright  fires. 
Near  by  was  a  foaming  torrent,  which  tumbled  into  the 
little  lake  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  below  us,  and 
which,  by  way  of  distinction,  we  have  called  Island  Lake. 


270  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Fremont 

We  had  reached  the  upper  limit  of  the  piney  region ;  as, 
above  this  point,  no  tree  was  to  be  seen,  and  patches  of 
snow  lay  everywhere  around  us,  on  the  cold  sides  of  the 
rock.  From  barometrical  observations  made  during  our 
three  days'  sojourn  at  this  place,  its  elevation  above  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico  is  ten  thousand  feet.  .  .  . 

[They  set  out  early  the  next  morning.]  On  every  side, 
as  we  advanced,  was  heard  the  roar  of  waters,  and  of  a 
torrent,  which  we  followed  up  a  short  distance,  until  it  ex- 
panded into  a  lake  about  one  mile  in  length.  On  the 
northern  side  of  the  lake  was  a  bank  of  ice,  or  rather  of 
snow  covered  with  a  crust  of  ice.  Carson  had  been  our 
guide  into  the  mountains,  and,  agreeably  to  his  advice,  we 
left  this  little  valley  and  took  to  the  ridges  again,  which 
we  found  extremely  broken,  and  where  we  were  again 
involved  among  precipices.  Here  were  ice-fields,  among 
which  we  were  all  dispersed,  seeking  each  the  best  way  to 
ascend  the  peak.  Mr.  Preuss  attempted  to  walk  along  the 
upper  edge  of  one  of  these  fields,  which  sloped  away  at  an 
angle  of  about  twenty  degrees;  but  his  feet  slipped  from 
under  him,  and  he  went  plunging  down  the  plain.  A  few 
hundred  feet  below,  at  the  bottom,  were  some  fragments 
of  sharp  rock,  on  which  he  landed ;  and,  though  he  turned 
a  couple  of  somersets,  fortunately  received  no  injury  be- 
yond a  few  bruises. 

[That  day's  work  failed,  and  they  returned  at  evening  to  the  camp. 
The  next  day  they  ascended  a  long  defile  on  mule-back,  and  soon  had 
the  satisfaction  to  find  that  they  had  taken  the  right  course.  Finally, 
leaving  their  mules  they  continued  on  foot,  eventually  reaching  a 
point  near  the  summit.  Here  was  an  overhanging  buttress  of  rock, 
which  could  be  surmounted  only  by  passing  around  one  side  of  it, 
which  was  the  face  of  a  precipice  of  several  hundred  feet  in  depth.] 

Putting  hands  and  feet  in  the  crevices  between  the 
blocks  I  succeeded  in  getting  over  it,  and  when  I  reached 


Fremont]     SOUTH  PASS  AND   FREMONT'S  PEAK.        271 

the  top,  found  my  companions  in  a  small  valley  below. 
Descending  to  them,  we  continued  climbing,  and  in  a  short 
time  reached  the  crest.  I  sprang  upon  the  summit,  and 
another  step  would  have  precipitated  me  into  an  im- 
mense snow-field  five  hundred  feet  below.  To  the  edge 
of  this  field  was  a  sheer  icy  precipice ;  and  then,  with  a 
gradual  fall,  the  field  sloped  off  for  about  a  mile,  until  it 
struck  the  foot  of  another  lower  ridge.  I  stood  on  a  nar- 
row crest,  about  three  feet  in  width,  with  an  inclination  of 
about  20°  north,  51°  east. 

As  soon  as  I  had  gratified  the  first  feeling  of  curiosity  I 
descended,  and  each  man  ascended  in  his  turn  ;  for  I  would 
only  allow  one  at  a  time  to  mount  the  unstable  and  pre- 
carious slab,  which  it  seemed  a  breath  would  precipitate 
into  the  abyss  below.  We  mounted  the  barometer  in  the 
snow  of  the  summit,  and,  fixing  a  ramrod  in  a  crevice,  un- 
furled the  national  flag  to  wave  in  the  breeze  where  never 
flag  waved  before.  During  our  morning's  ascent  we  had 
met  no  sign  of  animal  life,  except  a  small  sparrow-like 
bird.  A  stillness  the  most  profound  and  a  terrible  solitude 
forced  themselves  constantly  on  the  mind  as  the  great 
features  of  the  place.  Here,  on  the  summit,  where  the 
stillness  was  absolute,  unbroken  by  any  sound,  and  solitude 
complete,  we  thought  ourselves  beyond  the  region  of 
animated  life;  but  while  we  were  sitting  on  the  rock,  a 
solitary  bee  (Bombus,  the  humble-bee)  came  winging  his 
flight  from  the  eastern  valley,  and  lit  on  the  knee  of  one 
of  the  men. 

It  was  a  strange  place,  the  icy  rock  and  the  highest  peak 
of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  for  a  lover  of  warm  sunshine  and 
flowers;  and  we  pleased  ourselves  with  the  idea  that  he 
was  the  first  of  his  species  to  cross  the  mountain  barrier, — 
a  solitary  pioneer  to  foretell  the  advance  of  civilization.  I 
believe  that  a  moment's  thought  would  have  made  us  let 


272  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Fremont 

him  continue  his  way  unharmed ;  but  we  carried  out  the 
law  of  this  county,  where  all  animated  nature  seems  at 
war ;  and  seizing  him  immediately,  put  him  in  at  least  a 
fit  place, — in  the  leaves  of  a  large  book,  among  the  flowers 
we  had  collected  on  our  way.  The  barometer  stood  at 
18.293,  the  attached  thermometer  44° ;  giving  for  the 
elevation  of  this  summit  thirteen  thousand  five  hundred 
and  seventy  feet  above  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  which  may  be 
called  the  highest  flight  of  the  bee.  It  is  certainly  the 
highest  known  flight  of  that  insect. 

From  the  description  given  by  Mackenzie  of  the  moun- 
tains where  he  crossed  them,  with  that  of  the  French 
officer  still  farther  to  the  north,  and  Colonel  Long's 
measurements  to  the  south,  joined  to  the  opinion  of  the 
oldest  traders  of  the  country,  it  is  presumed  that  this  is 
the  highest  peak  in  the  Eocky  Mountains.  [Fremont's 
Peak  is  now  estimated  at  thirteen  thousand  seven  hundred 
and  ninety  feet.  There  are  many  peaks  now  known  over 
fourteen  thousand  feet.  The  highest  point  is  Blanca  Peak, 
fourteen  thousand  four  hundred  and  sixty-three  feet  high.] 

The  day  was  sunny  and  bright,  but  a  slight  shining  mist 
hung  over  the  lower  plains,  which  interfered  with  our  view 
of  the  surrounding  country.  On  one  side  we  overlooked  in- 
numerable lakes  and  streams,  the  spring  of  the  Colorado 
of  the  Gulf  of  California;  and  on  the  other  was  the  Wind 
River  Valley,  where  were  the  heads  of  the  Yellowstone 
branch  of  the  Missouri;  far  to  the  north  we  could  just  dis- 
cover the  snowy  heads  of  the  Trois  Tetons,  where  were  the 
sources  of  the  Missouri  and  Columbia  Rivers ;  and  at  the 
southern  extremity  of  the  ridge  the  peaks  were  plainly 
visible  among  which  were  some  of  the  springs  of  the 
Nebraska  or  Platte  River.  Around  us  the  whole  scene 
had  one  main,  striking  feature,  which  was  that  of  terrible 
convulsion.      Parallel   to  its  length,   the  ridge  was   split 


Hatden]  IN  THE  YELLOWSTONE  PARK.  273 

into  chasms  and  fissures  ;  between  which  rose  the  thin  lofty 
walls,  terminated  with  slender  minarets  and  columns. 

[The  party  reached  camp  the  next  day,  and  on  the  17th  turned 
their  faces  homewurd,  the  purpose  of  the  expedition  having  been 
accomplished.  ] 


IN  THE  YELLOWSTONE  PARK. 

FERDINAND   V.    HAYDEN. 

[About  the  middle  of  this  century  reports  began  to  be  heard  of  a 
veritable  wonderland  in  the  far  West,  as  yet  seen  only  by  trappers  and 
other  adventurers,  whose  stories  of  the  marvels  they  had  beheld  whetted 
the  appetite  of  scientific  explorers.  The  first  attempt  to  reach  the 
region  of  the  Yellowstone  was  made  in  1856,  but  failed,  and  it  was 
not  until  18G9  that  an  exploring  party  entered  this  marvellous  valley. 
A  second  party  reached  the  Yellowstone  region  in  1870,  and  Mr.  N.  P. 
Langford  wrote  a  glowing  account  of  the  wonders  observed.  The  first 
detailed  description  of  the  locality  was  made  by  Dr.  Hayden,  chief  of 
the  Geological  Survey  of  the  Territories,  in  1871.  From  this  extended 
and  highly  interesting  account  we  can  only  quote  a  few  passages, 
selecting  those  which  relate  to  the  hot  springs  and  geysers  of  the  won- 
derful Fire  Hole  Kiver  region.] 

Early  in  the  morning  of  August  30  the  valley  was 
literally  filled  with  columns  of  steam,  ascending  from  more 
than  a  thousand  vents.  I  can  compare  the  view  to  nothing 
but  that  of  some  manufacturing  city  like  Pittsburg,  as 
seen  from  a  high  point,  except  that  instead  of  the  black 
coal  smoke  there  are  here  the  white  delicate  clouds  of  steam. 
Small  groups  or  solitary  springs  that  are  scattered  every- 
where in  the  woods  upon  the  mountain-sides,  and  which 
would  otherwise  have  escaped  observation,  are  detected  by 
the  columns  of  steam.  It  is  evident  that  some  of  these  groups 
I. — a 


274  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Hatdejt 

of  springs  have  changed  their  base  of  operations  within  a 
comparatively  recent  period ;  for  about  midway  on  the  east 
side  of  the  lower  basin  there  is  a  large  area  covered  with 
a  thick,  apparently  modern,  deposit  of  the  silica,  as  white  as 
snow,  while  standing  quite  thickly  all  around  are  the  dead 
pines,  which  appear  to  have  been  destroyed  by  the  excessive 
overflow  of  the  water  and  the  increased  deposition.  These 
dry  trees  have  a  most  desolate  look  ;  many  of  them  have 
fallen  down  and  are  incrusted  with  the  silica,  while  portions 
that  have  fallen  into  the  boiling  springs  have  been  reduced 
to  a  pulp. 

This  seems  to  be  one  of  the  conditions  of  silicification, 
for  when  these  pulpy  masses  of  wood  are  permitted  to  dry 
by  the  cessation  of  the  springs,  the  most  perfect  specimens 
of  petrified  wood  are  the  result.  In  one  instance  a  green 
pine-tree  had  fallen  so  as  to  immerse  its  thick  top  in  a  largo 
hot  basin,  and  leaves,  twigs,  and  cones  had  become  com- 
pletely incrusted  with  the  white  silica,  and  a  portion  had 
entered  into  the  cellular  structure,  so  that  when  removed 
from  the  water  and  dried  in  the  sun,  very  fair  specimens 
were  obtained.  Members  of  my  party  obtained  specimens 
of  pine-cones  that  were  sufficiently  silicified  to  be  packed 
away  among  the  collections. 

In  order  that  we  might  get  a  complete  view  of  the  Lower 
Geyser  Basin  from  some  high  point,  we  made  a  trip  to  the 
summit  of  Twin  Buttes,  on  the  west  side  of  the  basin. 
From  the  top  of  one  of  these  buttes,  which  is  six  hundred 
and  thirty  feet  above  the  Fire-Hole  Eiver,  wo  obtained  a 
bird's-eye  view  of  the  entire  lower  portion  of  the  valley, 
which  was  estimated  to  be  about  twenty  miles  long  and 
five  miles  wide.  To  the  westward,  among  the  mountains, 
were  a  number  of  little  lakes,  which  were  covered  with 
a  huge  species  of  water-lily,  Nuphar  advena.  The  little 
streams  precipitated  their  waters  in  the  most  picturesque 


Hayden]  IN  THE  YELLOWSTONE  PARK.  275 

cascades  or  falls.  One  of  them  was  named  by  Colonel  Bar- 
low the  "  Fairy  Fall,"  from  the  graceful  beauty  with  which 
the  little  stream  dropped  down  a  clear  descent  of  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  feet.  It  is  only  from  a  high  point  that  it  can 
be  seen,  for  the  water  falls  gently  down  from  the  lofty  over- 
hanging cliff  into  a  basin  at  the  foot,  which  is  surrounded 
by  a  line  of  tall  pines  one  hundred  to  one  hundred  and  fifty 
feet  in  height.  The  continual  flow  of  the  waters  of  this 
little  fountain  has  worn  a  deep  channel  or  furrow  into 
the  vertical  sides  of  the  mountain.  As  far  as  the  eye  can 
reach  can  be  seen  the  peculiar  plateau  mountain  ranges, 
black  with  the  dense  forests  of  pine,  averaging  from  nine 
thousand  to  ten  thousand  feet  above  sea-level.  .  .  . 

A  spring  on  a  level  with  the  river  has  an  enormous 
square  basin  thirty  feet  across,  of  unknown  depth.  We 
called  this  the  "  Bath  Spring."  A  little  below  is  another 
singular  form  of  wonderful  beauty.  The  water  issues  from 
beneath  the  crust  near  the  margin  of  the  river  from  several 
apertures.  The  basin  itself  is  fifteen  by  twenty  feet  and 
twenty  feet  deep.  It  seemed  to  me  that  nothing  could  ex- 
ceed the  transparent  clearness  of  the  water.  The  slightest 
object  was  reflected  in  its  clear  depths,  and  the  bright  blue 
tints  were  indescribable.  We  called  this  the  "Cavern." 
The  mud  springs  are  also  numerous  and  important  in  this 
group.  As  usual,  they  are  of  all  sizes,  from  an  inch  or  two 
to  twenty  or  thirty  feet  in  diameter,  with  contents  varying 
from  mere  turbid  water  to  stiff  mud.  They  seldom  have 
any  visible  outlet,  but  are  in  a  constant  state  of  agitation, 
with  a  sound  that  varies  with  the  consistency  of  the  con- 
tents. There  are  several  of  the  mud-pots  that  give  off  a 
suppressed  thud  as  the  gases  burst  their  way  through  the 
stiff  mortar.  Sometimes  the  mortar  is  as  white  as  snow, 
or  brown,  or  tinged  with  a  variety  of  vivid  colors.   .  .  . 

On  the  west  side  of  the  Firo-IIole,  and  along  the  little 


276  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Hatden 

branch  that  flows  into  it  from  the  west,  are  numbers  of 
springs  of  all  grades,  and  the  broad  bottom  is  covered  with 
a  snow-white  silicious  crust.     Near  the  base  of  the  moun- 
tains there  is  a  massive  first-class  boiling  spring,  in  a  con- 
stant state  of  violent  agitation,  sending  forth  great  columns 
of  steam,  with  a  singular  toadstool  rim.  .  .  .  About  three 
miles  up  the  Fire-Hole  we  meet  with  a  small  but  quite 
interesting  group  of  springs  on  both  sides  of  the  stream. 
There  is  a  vast  accumulation  of  silica,  forming  a  hill  fatty 
feet  along  the  level  of  the  river ;  upon  the  summit  one  of 
the  largest  springs  yet  seen,  nearly  circular,  one  hundred 
and   fifty  feet   in  diameter,   boils   up  in   the  centre,   but 
overflows  with  such  uniformity  on  all  sides  as  to  admit  of 
the  formation  of  no  real  rim,  but  forming  a  succession  of 
little  ornamental  steps,  from  one  to  three  inches  in  height, 
just  as  water  would  congeal  from  cold  in  flowing  down  a 
gentle  declivity.     There  was  the  same  transparent  clear- 
ness, the  same  brilliancy  of  coloring  to  the  waters,  but  the 
hot  steam  and  the  thinness  of  the  rim  prevented  me  from 
approaching  it  near  enough  to  ascertain  its  temperature  or 
observe  its  depth.     It  is  certainly  one  of  the  grandest  hot 
springs  ever  seen  by  human  eye. 

But  the  most  formidable  one  of  all  is  near  the  margin  of 
the  river.     It  seems  to  have  broken  out  close  by  the  river, 
and  to  have  continually  enlarged  its  orifice  by  the  breaking 
down  of  its  sides.     It  evidently  commenced  on  the  east 
side  and  the  continual  wear  of  the  under  side  of  the  crust 
on  the  west  side  has  caused  the  margin  to  fall  in,  until  an 
aperture  at  least  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  in  diameter  has 
been  formed,  with  walls  or  sides  twenty  to  thirty  feet  high, 
nhowing  the  lamina,  of  deposition  perfectly.    The  water  is 
intensely  agitated  all  the  time,  boiling  like  a  caldron,  from 
which  a  vast  column  of  steam  is  ever  rising,  filling  the 
orifice.     As  the  passing  breeze  sweeps  it  away  for  a  mo- 


Hayden]  IN  THE  YELLOWSTONE  PARK.  277 

ment,  one  looks  down  into  this  terrible  seething  pit  with 
terror.  All  around  the  sides  are  large  masses  of  the 
silicious  crust  that  have  fallen  from  the  rim.  An  immense 
column  of  water  flows  out  of  this  caldron  into  the  river. 
As  it  pours  over  the  marginal  slope  it  descends  by  numer- 
ous small  channels,  with  a  large  number  of  smaller  ones 
spreading  over  a  broad  surface,  and  the  marvellous  beauty 
of  the  strikingly  vivid  coloring  far  surpasses  anything  of 
the  kind  we  have  seen  in  this  land  of  wondrous  beauty, — 
every  possible  shade  of  color,  from  vivid  scarlet  to  a  bright 
rose,  and  every  shade  of  yellow  to  a  delicate  cream,  mingled 
with  vivid  green  from  minute  vegetation.  Some  of  the 
channels  were  lined  with  a  very  fine,  delicate  yellow,  silky 
material,  which  vibrates  at  every  movement  of  the  waters. 
There  was  one  most  beautiful  funnel-shaped  spring,  twenty 
feet  in  diameter  at  the  top,  but  tapering  down,  lined  inside 
and  outside  with  the  most  delicate  decorations.  Indeed,  to 
one  looking  down  into  its  clear  depths,  it  seemed  like  a 
fairy  palace.  The  same  jelly-like  substance  or  pulp  to 
which  I  have  before  alluded  covers  a  large  area  with  the 
various  shades  of  light  red  and  green.  The  surface  yields 
to  the  tread  like  a  cushion.  It  is  about  two  inches  in 
thickness,  and  although  seldom  so  tenacious  as  to  hold  to- 
gether, yet  it  may  be  taken  up  in  quite  large  masses,  and 
when  it  becomes  dry  it  is  blown  about  by  the  wind,  like 
fragments  of  variegated  lichens. 

[From  this  description  of  the  hot  springs  of  the  region  we  proceed 
to  an  account  of  its  marvellous  geyser  phenomena.] 

"We  camped  the  evening  of  August  5  in  the  middle  of 
the  Upper  Geyser  Basin,  in  the  midst  of  some  of  the 
grandest  geysers  in  the  world.  Colonel  Barlow  and  Cap- 
tain Heap,  of  the  United  States  Engineers,  were  camped 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  Fire-Hole.    Soon  after  reaching 

24 


278  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Haydkn 

camp  a  tremendous  rumbling  was  heard,  shaking  the 
ground  in  every  direction,  and  soon  a  column  of  steam 
burst  forth  from  a  crater  near  the  edge  of  the  east  side  of 
the  river.  Following  the  steam,  arose,  by  a  succession  of 
impulses,  a  volume  of  water,  apparently  six  feet  in  diameter, 
to  the  height  of  two  hundred  feet,  while  the  steam  ascended 
a  thousand  feet  or  more.  It  would  be  difficult  to  describe 
the  excitement  which  attended  such  a  display.  It  is  prob- 
able that  if  we  could  have  remained  in  the  valley  several 
days,  and  become  accustomed  to  all  the  preliminary  warn- 
ings, the  excitement  would  have  ceased,  and  we  could  have 
admired  calmly  the  marvellous  ease  and  beauty  with  which 
this  column  of  hot  water  was  held  up  to  that  great  height 
for  the  space  of  twenty  minutes.  After  the  display  is  over 
the  water  settles  down  in  the  basin  several  inches,  and  the 
temperature  slowly  falls  to  150°.  We  called  this  the  "  Grand 
Geyser,"  for  its  power  seemed  greater  than  any  other  of 
which  we  obtained  any  knowledge  in  the  valley. 

[After  describing  more  particularly  the  peculiarities  of  the  Grand 
Geyser  and  the  smaller  neighboring  geysers,  Dr.  Hayden  gives  us  an 
enthusiastic  pen-picture  of  a  beautiful  type  of  springs.] 

On  the  summit  of  the  great  mound  is  one  of  a  class  I 
have  called  central  springs;  it  is  located  on  the  highest 
point  of  the  mound  on  which  this  great  group  belongs;  has 
a  crater  twenty  feet  in  diameter,  very  nearly  quiescent, 
slightly  bubbling,  or  boils  near  the  centre,  with  a  thin,  ele- 
gant rim  projecting  over  the  spring,  with  the  water  rising 
within  a  few  inches  of  the  top.  The  continual  but  very 
moderate  overflow  of  this  spring,  uniformly  on  every  side, 
builds  up  slowly  a  broad-based  mound,  layer  by  layer,  one- 
eighth  to  one-sixteenth  of  an  inch  thick.  Looking  down 
into  these  springs,  you  seem  to  be  gazing  into  fathomless 
depths,  while  the  bright  blue  of  the  water  is  unequalled 


Hayden]  IN  THE  YELLOWSTONE  PARK.  279 

even  by  the  sea.  There  are  a  number  of  these  marvellous 
central  springs,  with  projecting  rims  carved  with  an  intri- 
cate delicacy  which  of  itself  is  a  marvel ;  and  as  one  as- 
cends the  mound  and  looks  down  into  the  wonderfully 
clear  depths,  the  vision  is  unique.  The  great  beauty  of 
the  prismatic  colors  depends  much  on  the  sunlight,  but 
about  the  middle  of  the  day,  when  the  bright  rays  descend 
nearly  vertically,  and  a  slight  breeze  just  makes  a  ripple 
on  the  surface,  the  colors  exceed  comparison ;  when  the 
surface  is  calm  there  is  one  vast  chaos  of  colors,  dancing, 
as  it  were,  like  the  colors  of  a  kaleidoscope. 

As  seen  through  this  marvellous  play  of  colors,  the  dee- 
orations  on  the  sides  of  the  basin  are  lighted  up  with  a 
wild,  weird  beauty  which  wafts  one  at  once  into  the  land 
of  enchantment;  all  the  brilliant  feats  of  fairies  and  genii  in 
the  "Arabian  Nights"  entertainments  are  forgotten  in  the 
actual  presence  of  such  marvellous  beauty ;  life  becomes  a 
privilege  and  a  blessing  after  one  has  seen  and  thoroughly 
felt  these  incomparable  types  of  nature's  cunning  skill.  .  .  . 

Our  search  for  new  wonders  leading  us  across  the  Fire- 
Hole  River,  we  ascended  a  gently  incrusted  slope,  and 
came  suddenly  upon  a  large  oval  aperture  with  scalloped 
edges,  the  diameters  of  which  were  eighteen  and  twenty- 
five  feet,  the  sides  corrugated  and  covered  with  a  grayish- 
white  silicious  deposit,  which  was  distinctly  visible  at  the 
depth  of  a  hundred  feet  below  the  surface.  No  water 
could  be  discovered,  but  we  could  distinctly  hear  it  gur- 
gling and  boiling  at  a  great  distance  below.  Suddenly  it 
began  to  rise,  boiling  and  spluttering,  and  sending  out  huge 
masses  of  steam,  causing  a  general  stampede  of  our  com- 
pany, driving  us  to  some  distance  from  our  point  of  obser- 
vation. When  within  about  forty  feet  of  the  surface  it 
became  stationary,  and  we  returned  to  look  down  upon  it. 
It  was  foaming  and  surging  at  a  terrible  rate,  occasionally 


280  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Hatden 

emitting  small  jets  of  hot  water  nearly  to  the  mouth  of 
the  orifice. 

All  at  once  it  seemed  seized  with  a  fearful  spasm,  and 
rose  with  incredible  rapidity,  hardly  affording  us  time  to 
withdraw  to  a  safe  distance,  when  it  burst  from  the  orifice 
with  terrific  momentum,  rising  in  a  column  the  full  size  of 
this  immense  aperture  to  the  height  of  sixty  feet ;  and 
through  and  out  of  the  apex  of  this  vast  aqueous  mass  five 
or  six  lesser  jets  or  round  columns  of  water,  varying  in 
size  from  six  to  fifteen  inches  in  diameter,  were  projected 
to  the  marvellous  height  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet. 
These  lesser  jets,  so  much  higher  than  the  main  column, 
and  shooting  through  it,  doubtless  proceed  from  auxiliary 
pipes  leading  into  the  principal  orifice  near  the  bottom, 
where  the  explosive  force  is  greater.  If  the  theory  that 
water  by  constant  boiling  becomes  explosive  when  freed 
from  air  be  true,  this  theory  rationally  accounts  for  all 
irregularities  in  the  eruptions  of  the  geysers. 

This  grand  eruption  continued  for  twenty  minutes,  and 
was  the  most  magnificent  sight  we  ever  witnessed.  We 
were  standing  on  the  side  of  the  geyser  nearest  the  sun, 
the  gleams  of  which  filled  the  sparkling  column  of  water 
and  spray  with  myriads  of  rainbows,  whose  arches  were 
constantly  changing,  dipping  and  fluttering  hither  and 
thither,  and  disappearing  only  to  be  succeeded  by  others, 
again  and  again,  amid  the  aqueous  columns,  while  the 
minute  globules  into  which  the  spent  jets  were  diffused 
when  falling  spai'kled  like  a  shower  of  diamonds,  and  around 
every  shadow  which  the  denser  clouds  of  vapor,  interrupt- 
ing the  sun's  rays,  cast  upon  the  column,  could  be  seen  a 
luminous  circle,  radiant  with  all  the  colors  of  the  prism, 
and  resembling  the  halo  of  glory  represented  in  paintings 
as  encircling  the  head  of  Divinity.  All  that  we  had  pre- 
viously witnessed  seemed  tame  in  comparison  with  the  per- 


Haydkn]  IN  THE  YELLOWSTONE  PARK.  281 

feet  grandeur  and  beauty  of  this  display.  Two  of  these 
wonderful  eruptions  occurred  during  the  twenty-two  hours 
we  remained  in  the  valley.  This  geyser  we  named  the 
"  Giantess." 

A  hundred  yards  distant  from  the  Giantess  was  a  silicious 
cone,  very  symmetrical,  but  slightly  corrugated  upon  its 
exterior  surface,  three  feet  in  height  and  five  feet  in  diam- 
eter at  its  base,  and  having  an  oval  orifice  twenty-four  by 
thirty-six  and  a  half  inches  in  diameter,  with  scalloped 
edges.  Not  one  of  our  company  supposed  that  it  was  a 
geyser;  and  among  so  many  wonders  it  had  almost  escaped 
notice.  While  we  were  at  breakfast  upon  the  morning  of 
our  departure,  a  column  of  water,  entirely  filling  the  crater, 
shot  from  it,  which,  by  accurate  triangular  measurement, 
we  found  to  be  two  hundred  and  nineteen  feet  in  height. 
The  stream  did  not  deflect  more  than  four  or  five  degrees 
from  a  vertical  line,  and  the  eruption  lasted  eighteen 
minutes.     We  named  it  the  "  Beehive."  .  .  1 

On  our  return  to  the  lake  from  this  basin  we  passed  up  the 
Fire-Hole  River  to  its  source  in  the  divide.  Early  in  the 
morning,  as  we  were  leaving  the  valley,  the  grand  old 
geyser  which  stands  sentinel  at  the  head  of  the  valley  gave 
us  a  magnificent  parting  display,  and  with  little  or  no  pre- 
liminary warning  it  shot  up  a  column  of  water  about  six 
feet  in  diameter  to  the  height  of  a  hundred  to  a  hundred 
and  fifty  feet,  and  by  a  succession  of  impulses  seemed  to 
hold  it  up  steadily  for  the  space  of  fifteen  minutes,  the 
great  mass  of  water  falling  directly  back  into  the  basin, 
and  flowing  over  the  edges  and  down  the  sides  in  large 
streams.  When  the  action  ceases,  the  water  recedes  be- 
yond sight,  and  nothing  is  heard  but  the  occasional  escape 
of  steam  until  another  exhibition  occurs.  This  is  one  of  the 
most  accommodating  geysers  in  the  basin,  and  during  our 
stay  played  once  an  hour  quite  regularly.     On  account  of 

24* 


282  HALF-HOURS   OF  TRAVEL.  [Bacon 

its  apparent  regularity,  and  its  position  overlooking  the 
valley,  it  was  called  by  Messrs.  Langford  and  Doane  "  Old 
Faithful."  It  has  built  up  a  crater  about  twent}"  feet  high 
around  its  base,  and  all  about  it  are  decorations  similar  to 
those  previously  described. 

On  the  morning  of  August  6  we  ascended  the  mountains 
at  the  head  of  the  Fire-Hole  River,  on  our  return  to  the 
hot-spring  camp  on  the  Yellowstone  Lake.  We  had  merely 
caught  a  glimpse  of  the  wonderful  physical  phenomena  of 
this  remarkable  valley.  We  had  just  barely  gleaned  a  few 
of  the  surface  observations,  which  only  sharpened  our 
desire  for  a  larger  knowledge.  There  is  no  doubt  in  my 
mind  that  these  geysers  are  more  active  at  certain  seasons 
of  the  year  than  at  others.  We  saw  them  in  midsummer, 
when  the  surface  waters  are  greatly  diminished.  In  the 
spring,  at  the  time  of  the  melting  of  the  snows,  the  display 
of  the  first-class  geysers  must  be  more  frequent  and  power- 
ful. We  left  this  valley,  with  its  beautiful  scenery,  its  hot 
springs  and  gej-sers,  with  great  regret. 


THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  CLIFF-DWELLERS. 

ALFRED   TERRY   BACON. 

[Buskin,  among  his  reasons  for  not  visiting  the  United  States, 
declared  that  it  would  be  impossible  for  him  to  exist,  even  for  a  6hort 
interval,  in  a  country  that  had  no  old  castles.  Had  he  known  it,  he 
might  have  found  here  old  castles  in  abundance,  older  perhaps,  and 
grander  in  situation,  than  any  to  be  found  in  his  own  land.  These 
are  the  ruined  dwellings  of  the  ancient  inhabitants  of  the  western 
canons  and  of  the  pueblo-builders  of  Arizona  and  New  Mexico.  "We 
give  a  traveller's  account  of  the  Cliff-dwellers'  habitations.] 

The  attraction  which  drew  the  conquerors  of  Mexico 
forty-five  days'  journey  away  into  the  North  was  the  fame 


Bacon]       THE   COUNTRY  OF  CLIFF-DWELLERS.  283 

which  had  reached  them  of  the  Seven  Cities  of  Cibola  (the 
buffalo),  great  in  wealth  and  population,  lying  in  tbe  valley 
of  the  Eio  de  Zufii.  To  the  grief  of  the  invaders,  they  found 
not  cities,  but  rather  villages  of  peaceful  agricultural  people 
dwelling  in  great  pueblos  three  and  four  stories  high,  and 
they  searched  in  vain  for  the  rumored  stores  of  gold.  At 
that  time  the  pueblos  held  a  large  population  skilled  in 
many  arts  of  civilization.  They  cultivated  large  tracts  of 
ground,  wove  fabrics  of  cotton,  and  produced  ornate  pottery. 
Their  stone-masonry  was  admirable.  But  even  three  hun- 
dred years  ago  it  seems  that  the  people  were  but  a  remnant 
of  what  they  had  once  been.  Even  then  the  conquerors 
wondered  at  the  many  ruins  which  indicated  a  decline 
from  former  greatness.  The  people  have  not  now  the  same 
degree  of  skill  in  their  native  arts  which  the  race  once  had, 
and  it  is  probable  that  when  the  Spaniards  came  and  found 
them  declining  in  numbers  the  old  handicrafts  were  already 
on  the  wane. 

In  a  remote  age  the  ancestors  of  these  Pueblo  tribes,  or 
a  race  of  kindred  habits,  filled  most  of  that  vast  region 
which  is  drained  by  the  Colorado  Eiver  and  its  affluents, 
and  spread  beyond  into  the  valley  of  the  Eio  Grande.  The 
explorers  of  a  great  extent  of  country  in  Utah,  Arizona, 
New  Mexico,  and  Colorado  have  found  everywhere  evi- 
dences of  the  wide  distribution  and  wonderful  industry  of 
that  ancient  people.  On  the  low  land  which  they  used  to  till 
lie  the  remains  of  their  villages, — rectangular  buildings  of 
enormous  dimensions  and  large  circular  estufas,  or  halls  for 
council  and  worship.  On  the  sides  of  the  savage  cliffs  that 
wall  in  or  overarch  the  cafions  are  scattered  in  every  crevice 
and  wrinkle  those  strange  and  picturesque  ruins  which  give 
us  the  name  "Cliff-dwellers"  to  distinguish  this  long-for- 
gotten people.  And  on  commanding  points,  seen  far  away 
down  the  cafions  or  across  the  mesas,  stand  the  solitary 


284  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Bacon 

watch-towers  where  sentinels  might  signal  to  the  villagers 
below  on  the  approach  of  Northern  barbarians.  .  .  . 

There  is  no  other  district  which  embraces  in  so  small  a 
compass  so  great  a  number  and  variety  of  the  Cliff-dwellers' 
ruined  works  as  the  canon  of  the  Little  Eio  Mancos  in 
Southwestern  Colorado.  The  stream  rises  in  a  spur  of  the 
San  Juan  Mountains,  near  the  remote  mining-camp  called 
Parrott  City.  Flowing  southward  for  a  few  miles  through 
an  open  valley,  it  is  soon  enclosed  between  the  walls  of  a 
profound  canon  which  cuts  for  nearly  thirty  miles  through 
a  table-land  called  the  Mesa  Verde.  The  cafion  is  wide 
enough  to  have  permitted  the  old  inhabitants  to  plant  their 
crops  along  the  stream,  and  the  cliffs  rising  on  either  side 
to  a  height  of  two  thousand  feet  are  so  curiously  broken 
and  grooved  and  shelving,  from  the  decay  of  the  soft  hori- 
zontal strata  and  the  projection  of  the  harder,  as  to  offer 
remarkable  facilities  for  building  fortified  houses  hard  of 
approach  and  easy  of  defence.  Therefore  the  whole  length 
of  the  cafion  is  filled  with  ruins,  and  for  fifteen  miles 
beyond  it  to  the  borders  of  New  Mexico,  where  the  river 
meets  the  Eio  San  Juan,  the  valley  bears  many  traces  of 
the  ancient  occupation. 

The  scenery  of  the  cafion  is  wild  and  imposing  in  the 
highest  degree.  In  the  dry  Colorado  air  there  are  few 
lichens  or  weather-stains  to  dull  the  brightness  of  the 
strata  to  the  universal  hoariness  of  moister  climates:  the 
vertical  cliffs,  standing  above  long  slopes  of  debris,  are 
colored  with  the  brilliant  tints  of  freshly-quarried  stone. 
A  gay  ribbon  of  green  follows  the  course  of  the  rivulet 
winding  down  through  the  cafion  till  it  is  lost  to  sight  in 
the  vista  of  crags.  The  utter  silence  and  solitude  of  the 
wilderness  reigns  through  the  valley.  It  is  not  occupied 
by  any  savage  tribe,  and  only  a  few  white  men  within  the 
last  few  years  have  passed  through  it  and  told  of  its  won- 


Bacon]       THE   COUNTRY  OF  CLIFF-DWELLERS.  285 

ders ;  and  yet  its  whole  length  is  but  one  series  of  houses 
and  temples  that  were  forsaken  centuries  ago.  I  can 
hardly  imagine  a  more  exciting  tour  of  exploration  than 
that  which  Mr.  Jackson's  party  made  on  first  entering  this 
canon  in  1874. 

Above  the  entrance  of  the  cafion  the  evidences  of  pre- 
historic life  begin.  On  the  bottom-land,  concealed  by 
shrubbery,  are  the  half-obliterated  outlines  of  square  and 
circular  buildings.  The  houses  were  of  large  size,  and 
were  plainly  no  temporary  dwelling-places,  for  an  accumu- 
lation of  decorated  pottery  fills  the  ground  about  them,  in- 
dicating long  occupation.  No  doubt  they  were  built  of 
adobe, — masses  of  hard  clay  dried  in  the  sun, — which  the 
wear  of  ages  has  reduced  to  smoothly-rounded  mounds. 
For  some  miles  down  the  canon  remains  of  this  sort  occur 
at  short  intervals,  and  at  one  point  there  stands  a  wall 
built  of  squared  sandstone  blocks.  Along  the  ledges  of  the 
cliffs  on  the  right  bits  of  ruinous  masonry  are  detected 
here  and  there,  but  for  a  time  there  is  nothing  to  excite 
close  attention.  At  last  a  watchful  eye  is  arrested  by  a 
more  interesting  object  perched  at  a  tremendous  height  on 
the  western  wall  of  the  carlon.  It  is  a  house  built  upon  a 
Bhelf  of  rock  between  the  precipices,  but,  standing  seven 
hundred  feet  above  the  stream  and  differing  not  at  all  in 
color  from  the  crags  about  it,  only  the  sharpest  eyesight 
can  detect  the  unusual  form  of  the  building  and  the  win- 
dows marking  the  two  stories. 

The  climb  up  to  the  house-platform  is  slow  and  fatiguing, 
but  the  trouble  is  repaid  by  a  sight  of  one  of  the  most 
curious  ruins  on  this  continent.  Before  the  door  of  the 
house,  part  of  the  ledge  has  been  reserved  for  a  little 
esplanade,  and  to  make  it  broader  three  small  abutments 
of  stone,  which  once  supported  a  floor,  are  built  on  the 
bloping  edge   of  the   rock.      Beyond    this    the   house    is 


286  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Bacon 

entered  by  a  small  aperture  which  served  as  a  door.  It  is 
the  best  specimen  of  a  Cliff-dweller's  house  that  remains  to 
our  time.  The  walls  are  admirably  built  of  squared  stones 
laid  in  a  hard  white  mortar.  The  house  is  divided  into  two 
stories  of  three  rooms  each.  Behind  it  a  semicircular  cis- 
tern nearly  as  high  as  the  house  is  built  against  the  side  of 
it,  and  a  ladder  is  arranged  for  descending  from  an  upper 
window  to  the  water-level.  The  floor  of  the  second  story 
was  supported  by  substantial  cedar  timbers,  but  only  frag- 
ments of  them  remain.  The  roof,  too,  has  entirely  disap- 
peared, but  the  canopy  of  natural  rock  overhanging  serves 
to  keep  out  the  weather.  The  front  rooms  in  both  stories 
are  the  largest  and  are  most  carefully  finished.  Perhaps 
they  were  the  parlor  and  "  best  bedroom"  of  some  pre- 
historic housewife.  They  are  plastered  throughout  with 
fine  smooth  mortar,  and  even  in  that  remote  age  the  mania 
for  household  decoration  had  a  beginning:  floor,  walls,  and 
ceiling  were  colored  a  deep  red,  surrounded  by  a  broad 
border  of  white. 

The  same  cliff  on  which  this  house  stands  has  on  its  side 
many  other  ruins ;  some  half  destroyed  by  gradual  decay, 
some  crushed  by  falling  rocks,  none  so  perfect  as  the  one 
described ;  but  all  are  crowded  into  the  strangest  un- 
approachable crevices  of  the  canon-wall,  like  the  crannies 
which  swallows  choose  to  hold  their  nests,  far  removed 
from  the  possibility  of  depredation.  Some  are  so  utterly 
inaccessible  that  the  explorers,  with  all  their  enthusiasm 
and  activity,  have  never  been  able  to  reach  them.  How 
any  beings  not  endowed  with  wings  could  live  at  such 
points  it  is  hard  to  conceive :  it  makes  one  suspicious  that 
the  Cliff-dwellers  had  not  quite  outgrown  the  habits  of 
monkey  ancestors. 

As  the  canon  widens  with  the  descent  of  the  stream,  the 
ruins  in  the  western  wall  increase  in  number.     One  fear- 


Bacon]       THE   COUNTRY  OF  CLIFF-DWELLERS.  287 

ful  cliff  a  thousand  feet  in  height  is  chinked  all  over  its 
face  with  tiny  houses  of  one  room  each,  but  only  a  few  of 
them  can  be  detected  with  the  naked  eye.  One,  which  was 
reached  by  an  explorer  at  the  peril  of  his  life,  stands  in- 
tact: ceiling  and  floor  are  of  the  natural  rock,  and  the 
wall  is  built  in  a  neat  curve  conforming  to  the  shape  of  the 
ledge. 

A  mile  farther  down  the  stream  there  is  a  most  interesting 
group  of  houses.  Eight  hundred  feet  above  the  valley  there 
is  a  shelf  in  the  cliff  sixty  feet  in  length  that  is  quite  cov- 
ered by  a  house.  The  building  contains  four  large  rooms, 
a  circular  sacred  apartment  and  smaller  rooms  of  irregular 
shape.  It  was  called  by  its  discoverers  "  The  House  of 
the  Sixteen  Windows."  Behind  this  house  the  cliff-side 
rises  smooth  and  perpendicular  thirty  feet,  but  it  can  be 
scaled  by  an  ancient  stairway  cut  into  it  which  ascends  to 
a  still  higher  ledge.  The  stairs  lead  to  the  very  door  of 
another  house  filling  a  niche  a  hundred  and  twenty  feet 
long.  A  great  canopy  of  solid  rock  overarches  the  little 
fortress,  reaching  far  forward  beyond  the  front  wall,  while 
from  below  it  is  absolutely  unapproachable  except  by  the 
one  difficult  stairway  of  niches  cut  in  the  rock.  In  time 
of  war  it  must  have  been  impregnable.  These  dwellings 
have  given  more  ideas  about  their  interior  furnishing  than 
any  of  the  others.  Among  the  accumulated  rubbish  were 
found  corn  and  beans  stored  away.  In  the  lower  house 
were  two  large  water-jars  of  corrugated  pottery  standing 
on  a  floor  covered  with  neatly-woven  rush  matting.  In  a 
house  not  far  above  were  found  a  bin  of  charred  corn,  and 
a  polished  hatchet  of  stone  made  with  remarkable  skill. 

From  this  point  onward  both  the  valley  and  the  cliffs 
are  filled  with  the  traces  of  a  numerous  population,  every 
mile  of  travel  bringing  many  fresh  ones  into  sight.  Among 
the  cliff-houses  there  is  of  necessity  a  variety  in  form  and 


288  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Bacon 

size  as  great  as  the  differences  of  the  caves  and  crevices 
that  hold  them;  but  among  the  buildings  of  the  low 
ground  there  is  more  uniformity,  not  only  in  this  cafion, 
but  in  all  the  valleys  of  the  region.  Most  of  them  may  be 
classed  as  aggregated  dwellings  or  pueblos  with  rectangu- 
lar rooms,  round  watch-towers  and  large  circular  buildings. 
To  these  must  be  added  a  few  which  seem  to  have  been 
built  only  for  defence.  The  straight  walls  have  generally 
fallen,  except  the  parts  supported  by  an  angle  of  a  build- 
ing; but,  as  usual  in  old  masonry,  the  circular  walls  have 
much  better  resisted  decay. 

About  midway  down  the  cafion  the  curved  wall  of  a 
large  ruin  rises  above  the  thicket.  It  is  a  building  of  very 
curious  design.  The  outer  wall  was  an  exact  circle  of 
heavy  masonry  a  hundred  and  thirty  feet  in  circumference. 
Within,  there  is  another  circular  wall,  concentric  with  the 
outer,  enclosing  one  round  room  with  a  diameter  of  twenty 
feet.  The  annular  space  between  the  two  walls  was  di- 
vided by  partitions  into  ten  small  apartments.  Other 
buildings  of  the  same  type  occur  in  this  region,  some  of 
much  larger  size  and  with  triple  walls.  Even  in  this  one, 
which  is  comparatively  well  preserved,  the  original  height 
is  uncertain,  though  the  ruin  still  stands  about  fifteen  feet 
high. 

The  vast  quantity  of  debris  about  some  of  them  indi- 
cates that  they  were  of  no  significant  height,  and  their 
perfect  symmetry  of  form,  the  careful  finish  of  the  ma- 
sonry, the  large  dimensions  and  great  solidity,  made  them 
the  most  imposing  architectural  works  of  that  ancient 
people.  I  find  no  reason  to  doubt  that  they  were  their 
temples,  and  the  presumption  is  very  strong  that  they 
were  temples  for  sun-worship.  The  occurrence  of  a  circu- 
lar room  in  connection  with  nearly  every  group  of  build- 
ings is  of  special  interest,  as  seeming  to  link  the   Cliff- 


Bacon]        THE   COUNTRY  OF  CLIFF-DWELLERS.  289 

dwellers  to  the  modern  Pueblo  tribes  in  their  religious 
customs. 

Most  striking  and  picturesque  of  all  the  ruins  are  the 
round  watch-towers.  On  commanding  points  in  the  val- 
ley, and  on  the  highest  pinnacles  of  the  cliffs  overlooking 
the  surface  of  the  mesa,  they  occur  with  a  frequency  which 
is  almost  pathetic  as  an  indication  of  the  life  of  eternal 
vigilance  which  was  led  by  that  old  race  through  the  years, 
perhaps  centuries,  of  exterminating  warfare  which  the 
savage  red  men  from  the  North  waged  upon  them.  To 
us  the  suffering  of  frontier  families  at  the  hands  of  the 
same  blood-thirsty  savages  is  heartrending.  What  was  it 
to  those  who  saw  year  by  year  their  whole  race's  life 
withering  away,  crushed  by  those  wild  tribes  ? 

Near  the  lower  end  of  the  canon  stands  one  of  the  most 
perfect  of  these  towers,  rising  sixteen  feet  above  the 
mound  on  which  it  is  built.  It  was  once  attached  to  an 
oblong  stone  building  which  seems  to  have  been  a  strongly- 
fortified  house.  The  rectangular  walls,  as  usual,  are  pros- 
trate, and  have  left  the  tower  standing  as  solitary  and 
picturesque  and  as  full  of  mystery  as  the  round-towers  of 
Ireland.  .  .  . 

In  the  Montezuma  Canon,  just  beyond  the  Colorado 
State  border,  there  are  some  remains  built  after  an  unusual 
manner  with  stones  of  great  size.  One  building  of  many 
rooms,  nearly  covering  a  little  solitary  mesa,  is  constructed 
of  huge  stone  blocks  not  unlike  the  pre-historic  masonry 
of  Southern  Europe.  In  the  same  district  there  is  a  ruined 
line  of  fortification  from  which  the  smaller  stones  have 
fallen  away  and  are  crumbling  to  dust,  leaving  only  certain 
enormous  upright  stones  standing.  They  rise  to  a  height 
of  seven  feet  above  the  soil,  and  the  lower  part  is  buried 
to  a  considerable  depth.  Their  resemblance  to  the  hoary 
Druidical  stones  of  Carnac  and  Stonehenge  is  striking,  and 
i.— n        t  25 


290  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Bacon 

there  is  nothing  in  their  appearance  to  indicate  that  they 
belong  to  a  much  later  age  than  those  primeval  monuments 
of  Europe. 

All  the  certain  knowledge  that  we  have  of  the  history 
and  manners  of  the  Cliff-dwellers  may  be  very  briefly  told, 
for  there  is  no  written  record  of  their  existence,  except 
their  own  rude  picture-writing,  cut  or  painted  on  the  caflon 
walls,  and  it  is  not  likely  that  those  hieroglyphics  will 
ever  be  deciphered.  But  much  may  be  inferred  from  their 
evident  kinship  to  the  Moquis  of  our  time ;  and  the  resem- 
blance of  the  ancient  architecture  and  ceramics  to  the  arts 
as  they  are  still  practised  in  the  degenerate  pueblos  of 
Arizona  gives  us  many  intimations  in  regard  to  the  habits 
of  the  Cliff-dwellers. 

It  was  centuries  ago — how  long  a  time  no  one  will  ever 
know— when  that  old  race  was  strong  and  numerous, 
filling  the  great  region  from  the  Eio  Grande  to  the  Colo- 
rado of  the  West,  and  from  the  San  Juan  Mountains  far 
down  into  Northern  Mexico.  They  must  have  numbered 
many  hundreds  of  thousands,  perhaps  millions.  It  is  not 
probable  that  they  were  combined  under  one  government, 
or  that  they  were  even  closely  leagued  together,  but  that 
they  were  essentially  one  in  blood  and  language  is  strongly 
indicated  by  the  similarity  of  their  remains.  That  they 
were  sympathetic  in  a  common  hostility  to  the  dangerous 
savage  tribes  about  them  can  hardly  be  doubted.  They 
were  of  peaceful  habits  and  lived  by  agriculture,  having 
under  cultivation  many  thousands  of  acres  in  the  rich 
river-bottoms,  which  they  knew  well  how  to  irrigate  from 
streams  swollen  in  summer  by  the  melting  snows  of  the 
high  mountain-ranges.  We  read  of  their  dry  canals  in 
Arizona,  so  deep  that  a  mounted  horseman  can  hide  in 
them.  We  know  that  they  raised  crops  of  corn  and  beans, 
and  in  the  south  cotton,  which  they  skilfully  wove.     That 


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Bacon]        THE  COUNTRY  OF  CLIFF-DWELLERS.  291 

they  had  commercial  dealing  across  their  whole  country  is 
shown  by  the  quantity  of  shell-ornaments  brought  from  the 
Pacific  coast,  which  are  found  in  their  Colorado  dwellings. 
They  did  not  understand  the  working  of  metals,  but  their 
implements  of  stone  are  of  most  excellent  workmanship. 
Their  weapons  indicate  the  practice  of  hunting,  and  while 
the  race  was  still  numerous  their  forts  and  their  sharp 
obsidian  arrows  made  easy  their  resistance  to  the  wander- 
ing savage  hordes. 

I  believe  that  no  instance  can  be  cited  of  a  people  still  in 
their  Stone  Age  who  have  surpassed  that  old  race  in  the 
mason's  art :  indeed,  I  doubt  if  any  such  people  has  even 
approached  their  skill  in  that  respect.  The  difficulty  of 
constructing  a  great  work  of  well-squared,  hammer-dressed 
stones  is  enormously  increased  if  the  masons  must  work 
only  with  stone  implements.  Imagine  the  infinite,  toilsome 
patience  of  a  people  who  in  such  a  way  could  rear  the 
ancient  Pueblo  Bonito  of  New  Mexico,  five  hundred  and 
forty  feet  long,  three  hundred  and  fourteen  feet  wide,  and 
four  stories  high!  In  one  wall  of  a  neighboring  build- 
ing of  stone  less  carefully  dressed  it  is  estimated  that 
there  were  originally  no  less  than  thirty  million  pieces, 
which  were  transported,  fashioned,  and  laid  by  men  with- 
out a  beast  of  burden  or  a  trowel,  chisel,  or  hammer  of 
metal.  .  .  . 

At  the  time  of  the  Spanish  conquest  the  Pueblo  trihes 
were  worshippers  of  the  sun  and  fire,  like  all  the  races  of 
this  continent  which  were  above  barbarism.  To-day,  even 
in  those  pueblos  where  a  corrupted  form  of  the  Roman 
faith  is  accepted,  there  are  traces  of  the  old  sun-worship 
mingled  with  it,  and  in  all  pueblos  there  are  large  circular 
rooms,  called  estufas,  reserved  for  councils  and  for  worship. 
The  invariable  appearance  of  estufas  among  the  ruined 
towns,  and  even  on  the  ledges  of  the  cliffs,  shows  what 


292  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Tevis 

Bacredne88  was  attached  to  the  circular  room,  which,  per- 
haps, was  symbolic  of  the  sun's  orb :  it  indicates  a  unity  of 
religious  faith  between  the  ancients  and  moderns. 


LAKE  TAHOE  AND  THE  BIG  TREES. 

A.  H.  TEVIS. 

[To  Rev.  A.  H.  Tevis,  author  of  "  Beyond  the  Sierras;  or,  Obser- 
vations on  the  Pacific  Coast,"  we  owe  the  following  description  of  a 
most  charming  example  of  American  lake  scenery,  one  of  the  varied 
and  striking  regions  of  beauty  which  California  oilers  to  the  tourist.] 

Of  the  many  curiosities  that  nature  has  scattered  over 
the  length  and  breadth  of  this  coast,  Lake  Tahoe  is  one  of 
the  most  charming. 

This  is  a  land  of  wonders,  certainly  of  curiosities.  Prov- 
idence has  made  this  vast  area,  between  the  Kocky  Moun- 
tains and  the  sea,  his  chief  receptacle  of  the  wealth  of  the 
country.  And  what  folly  to  travel  in  foreign  countries  to 
see  the  sights  until  you  have  at  least  seen  some  of  the 
wonders  and  treasures  of  our  own  great  Commonwealth ! 
You  can  spend  your  life  in  exploring  these  various  won- 
ders, and  then  not  find  an  end, — petrified  forests;  lost 
rivers,  whose  termini  no  one  knows,  and  of  whose  source 
there  is  great  doubt ;  brackish  lakes,  whose  waters  are 
worse  than  the  Dead  Sea,  and  in  which  no  living  thing 
can  exist;  bubbling,  hissing,  thundering  geysers,  whose 
awfulness  impresses  the  hardest  heart;  roaring  cataracts, 
that  with  a  band  of  silver  seem  to  bind  together  earth  and 
sky ;  boiling  springs,  hither  and  yon  in  almost  countless 
profusion,  that  send  their  breath  of  steam  as  through  the 
throats  of  some  great  furnace  from  Vulcan's  forge ;  geo- 


Tbvis]        LAKE   TAHOE  AND   THE  BIG    TREES.  293 

graphical  and  topographical  features  that  are  marvellous 
in  themselves ;  the  big  trees,  whose  magnitude  is  a  wonder, 
and  whose  age  links  the  present  almost  to  the  days  of 
Solomon ;  Yosemite,  unlike  anything  of  the  kind  in  the 
known  world,  whose  sublimity  is  beyond  description ;  and 
charming,  silvery,  unique  Tahoe,  or  Pearl  of  the  Sierras. 

There  is  no  patent  on  the  name,  hence  we  have  chosen 
to  christen  it  thus.  And  who  will  say  it  is  a  misnomer  that 
has  seen  its  grandeur  and  enjoyed  the  beauty  of  its  sur- 
roundings ?  Its  name  belongs  to  the  Indian  tongue,  and 
signifies  clear  water. 

This  lake  in  its  greatest  length  is  twenty-three  miles, 
and  greatest  width  eleven  miles;  hence  it  has  an  area  of 
two  hundred  and  fifty-three  square  miles.  Its  altitude  is 
six  thousand  two  hundred  and  twenty  feet  above  the  level 
of  the  sea.  Here,  spread  out  before  me,  like  the  finest  of 
burnished  silver,  is  a  lake  unlike  any  other  body  of  water 
in  the  world,  save  one  in  Switzerland,  and  that  has  only  a 
few  marks  of  similarity. 

This  lies  nestled  away,  like  a  very  jewel,  in  the  summit 
of  the  Sierras, — the  Alps  of  America, — at  an  altitude  of  a 
mile  and  a  quarter  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  Think  of 
it !  A  body  of  water  containing  an  area  of  more  than  two 
hundred  and  fifty  square  miles,  and  deep  enough  to  float 
the  largest  vessel  that  ever  traversed  the  sea,  and  then 
have  almost  immeasurable  depths  below  the  keel ;  think 
of  this  being  in  the  very  summit  of  the  greatest  range  of 
mountains  in  America! 

It  has  been  sounded  along  the  line  between  Nevada  and 
California,  which  runs  through  the  lake,  to  the  distance  of 
two  hundred  and  fifty-three  fathoms,  or  fifteen  hundred 
and  eighteen  feet.  But  other  places  have  been  sounded  to 
the  great  distance  of  nearly  twenty-five  hundred  feet.  The 
character  of  the  water  is  almost  incredible  to  one  who  has 

25* 


294  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Tevis 

never  looked  upon  it.  Coming  down  from  the  springs  that 
burst  from  the  canons,  and  the  everlasting  snowa  that 
crown  the  mountain-tops,  where 

11  'Tis  the  felt  presence  of  the  Deity," 

the  water  is  almost  perfectly  pure. 

I  have  leaned  over  the  side  of  the  boat  and  watched  the 
play  of  the  trout  a  hundred  and  fifty  feet  below  the  surface.  I 
have  dropped  a  small,  shining,  metallic  button,  and  watched 
distinctly  its  oscillations  in  sinking  for  three  or  four  minutes. 

The  transparent  nature  of  the  water  is  best  seen  in  the 
morning,  when  the  lake  is  perfectly  calm ;  not  even  the 
small  surface  ripples  that  nearly  always  exist  on  ordinary 
streams  and  lakes  are  visible. 

The  various  angles  of  vision  present  the  most  charming 
scene.  Yonder  the  lake  looks  like  a  quiet  mass  of  molten 
silver;  yonder,  where  the  rays  of  the  sun  meet  you,  is  a 
gorgeous  array  of  crimson  and  gold ;  then  there  is  a  range 
of  purest  emerald,  deepening  into  blue-black  as  the  scene 
stretches  away  from  you,  bespangled  in  the  distance  by 
the  rising  white-caps.  This,  fringed  with  the  green  of  the 
deep  pine-forests  that  skirt  the  mountains,  and  capped 
with  the  everlasting  snows,  made  radiant  with  the  flood  of 
sunlight,  furnishes  a  picture  of  incomparable  beauty,  and 
worthy  of  a  master's  brush. 

But  here  by  you,  right  at  your  feet,  is  one  of  the  most 
pleasing  features  of  all :  so  still  in  the  morning  quietness, 
and  such  air-like  purity  withal.  You  think  you  can  reach 
down  and  pick  up  those  shining  pebbles,  and  yet  they  are 
twenty,  thirty,  or  forty  feet  beneath  you.  And  that  boat 
or  skiff  seems  to  be  poised  in  mid-air.  You  can  count  the 
small  indentures  and  nail-heads  in  the  very  keel. 

You  cringe  with  fear  as  your  boat  glides  towards  that 
huge  boulder,  as  large  as  a  church,  thinking  surely  your 


Tkvis]        LAKE   TAHOE  AND   THE  BIO   TREES.  295 

vessel  will  be  wrecked ;  but  there  is  no  danger,  as  the  rock 
is  many  feet  beneath  you.  The  transparency  of  the  water 
makes  the  danger  seem  so  near. 

How  often  have  I  wished  this  place — mountains,  lake, 
and  all — could  be  the  place  of  one  of  the  grand  Eastern 
camp-meetings!  This  bracing  air,  this  unique  spot,  this 
wonderful  lake,  this  rich,  healthful  aroma  of  deep  pine- 
forests,  this  grand  scenery,  all  combined,  make  it  one  of 
the  best  of  places  for  religious  summer  resort. 

Yonder  is  a  quaint  spot,  a  veritable  Gibraltar  on  a  small 
scale,  a  lonely,  rocky  island  in  the  centre  of  Emerald  Bay. 
Some  foolish  man  built  a  tomb  in  the  solid  rock  on  its 
summit,  intending  to  be  buried  there,  where  the  marks  of 
decay  would  come  slowly  over  his  grave,  and  where  he 
might  sleep  undisturbed  amid  the  incomparable  grandeur 
that  would  have  surrounded  him.  His  sarcophagus  and 
all  were  prepared,  but  the  treacherous  billows  of  the  lake, 
that  occasionally  foam  and  roar  with  fuiy,  seized  him,  and 
he  lies  buried  at  the  bottom, — no  man  knows  where,  for 
no  one  going  down  ever  comes  up  again  from  these  waters. 

It  was  first  an  artless,  genial  party  of  three  of  us  that 
drank  in  the  poetry  of  the  scenery  around  Lake  Tahoe. 
The  "  elect  lady,"  whose  presence  has  ever  been  an  inspira- 
tion and  encouragement  in  life's  blackest,  bitterest  hours, 
her  best  and  dearest  friend,  Miss  Torreyson,  and  the  writer, 
made  up  the  trio.  We  were  joined  by  and  by  with  a  party 
of  others  kindred  in  spirit,  who  entered  into  all  our  schemes 
and  reconnoissances  after  pleasure. 

Those  were  memorable  six  weeks;  and  now,  at  this  dis- 
tance of  many  months  on  the  road  of  time,  that  period  of 
frolic  and  recuperation  gleams  as  with  the  radiance  of 
youth's  happiest  sunset  scene.  How  strange  that  happy 
days  even  never  look  so  charming  as  when  they  are  mel- 
lowed in  the  deep  past !  .  .  . 


296  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Tevis 

During  the  days  we  enlivened  many  a  bright  morning 
hour  with  boat-riding,  fishing,  gathering  wild-flowers,  and 
such  other  amusements  as'  this  delightful  place  afforded. 
On  one  of  these  fishing  excursions  one  of  our  party 
came  very  near  falling  into  the  treacherous  waters  of  the 
lake. 

Our  favorite  resorts,  and  it  is  so  with  all  tourists,  were 
Emerald  and  Carnelian  Bays.  The  former  is  a  beautiful, 
land-locked  arm  of  the  lake,  walled  in.  by  rugged  and 
towering  cliffs.  The  latter  is  a  long,  gravelly  beach, 
where  by  the  hour  we  have  searched  for  carnelian  stones, 
of  which  some  of  the  purest  quality  are  found. 

The  mountains  and  cafions  are  most  delightful  points 
of  interest  as  places  of  observation  and  rest,  and  often 
charm  by  the  echoes  they  throw  back.  We  were  given  to 
song ;  and  many  a  time  summering  here,  and  travelling 
over  the  lake,  we  united  in  singing  the  "  Evergreen  Moun- 
tains of  Life"  and  "  A  Thousand  Years,"  our  favorite  lake 
airs;  the  former  suggested,  no  doubt,  by  the  towering 
mountains  that  surrounded  us.  The  effect  is  peculiarly 
fascinating,  as  the  song  rings  out  over  the  waters,  in  the 
pure  mountain  air,  and  echoing  dies  away,  after  many  re- 
verberations of  "  evergreen  mountains  of  life" — "  moun- 
tains of  life" — "life" — in  some  deep  cafion.  Or  "a  thou- 
sand years,  Columbia," — "years,  Columbia," — "  Columbia," 
— the  vowels  of  the  last  becoming  beautifully  distinct  in 
the  echoes. 

Nearly  south  of  the  head  of  Lake  Tahoe,  a  distance  of 
perhaps  a  mile  and  a  half,  is  a  little  lake  that  bears  the 
name  of  Fallen  Leaf;  and  then  to  the  west  of  this  some 
three  miles  is  Cascade  Lake,  as  charming  a  little  body  of 
water  as  ever  flashed  back  the  sunlight.  Of  all  the  objects 
of  interest  here,  none  of  its  kind  is  more  interesting  than 
this  delightful  lake,  that  spreads  itself  out  a  half-mile  by  a 


Tbvis]        LAKE    TAHOE  AND    THE  BIO    TREES.  297 

mile  and  a  half,  and  that  at  an  altitude  of  four  or  five  hun- 
dred feet  above  Tahoe. 

Above  this,  from  the  summit  of  Tallac  Mountain,  it  is 
positively  asserted  seventeen  lakes,  varying  in  size,  can  be 
seen  at  one  glance  nestled  away  like  a  cluster  of  diamonds 
in  the  bosom  of  the  Sierras.  All  these  lakes  abound  with 
the  finest  of  trout,  and  are  surrounded  by  the  best  of 
game. 

On  the  east  side  of  Tahoe  are  Cave  Rock  and  Shake- 
speare Rock.  The  former  is  a  bald  precipitous  peak,  that 
presses  its  perpendicular  side  almost  to  the  water's  edge, 
leaving  just  room  enough  for  the  road  of  the  old  overland 
stage-coach.  Under  this  rock  is  a  cave  of  small  preten- 
sions, but  with  the  wild  scenery,  the  bald,  dizzy  height  of 
the  cliff,  and  the  fine  view  of  the  lake,  it  is  one  of  the 
many  frequented  places. 

Shakespeare  Rock  stands  back  perhaps  full  half  a  mile 
from  the  landing  at  Pray's  Buy,  or  Glenbrook.  It  is  a 
perpendicular  cliff  of  well  on  towards  a  thousand  feet 
above  the  waters  of  the  lake.  It  has  its  name  from  a  well- 
defined  portrait  of  a  man,  moss-formed  or  wind-chiselled, 
doubtless,  that  is  seen  plainly  several  hundred  feet  up  the 
rugged  side.  It  is  said  to  look  very  much  like  the  old  bard 
of  Stratford-upon-Avon.  But  of  this  we  cannot  say;  we 
never  saw  him. 

It  was  on  one  of  Nature's  brightest  days  that  our  trio, 
lunch-armed,  toiled  up  its  rugged  side,  the  only  accessible 
point,  and  flung  our  handkerchief  banners  to  the  breeze 
from  the  improvised  flag-staff,  while  we  grew  enraptured 
at  the  rich  perspective  from  the  dizzy  height.  It  seemed 
almost  like  being  on  "  cloud's  rest"  as  some  cloud's  shadow 
fell  upon  us  while  there. 

Below  us  lay  the  bustling,  thriving  village  of  Glenbrook, 
having,  perhaps,  well  on  towards  a  thousand  souls  as  the 


298  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Tbvis 

number  of  its  inhabitants ;  increased  by  tourists,  and,  of 
course,  largely  diminished  in  the  winter  months,  when 
business  here  "  shuts  down."  The  temperature,  however, 
is  generally  fine  from  the  last  of  April  to  the  first  of  No- 
vember, or  even  later.  It  is  not  unpleasant  now,  as  I 
write, — the  middle  day  of  January, — to  be  out  boat-riding 
or  rambling  by  the  shore. 

This  is  the  outlet  of  the  entire  lake  and  its  surround- 
ings ;  an  immense  traffic  in  lumber,  etc.,  is  carried  on. 
Five  saw-mills  give  life  and  activity  to  the  place,  as  they 
cut  nearly  three  hundred  thousand  feet  per  day,  or  more 
than  fifty  millions  during  the  business  months  of  the  year. 
A  hotel,  store,  post-office,  with  daily  mail,  and  telegraph- 
office,  add  to  the  convenience  of  the  place.  There  are 
six  steamers  on  the  lake  that  run  for  pleasure-parties  and 
traffic. 

From  the  lake  one  of  the  most  unique  railroads  ever 
built  runs  to  the  summit,  a  distance  of  nine  miles  by  the 
route  travelled,  although  the  distance  by  an  air  line  is  but 
three,  while  the  elevation  that  it  gains  is  eight  hundred 
and  fifty  feet.  It  climbs  the  mountain  by  zigzag  move- 
ments, like  a  letter  Z,  the  engine  sometimes  hauling  its 
burden,  and  sometimes  pushing  the  train.  More  than  a 
quarter  of  a  million  of  dollars  were  required  to  build  and 
etock  this  novel  short  line.  It  is  a  rare  evidence  of  engi- 
neering skill,  and  certainly  is  a  good  illustration  of  Western 
enterprise.  It  lacks  at  least  a  dozen  miles  of  connecting 
with  any  other  railroad  point,  and  its  engines,  rolling- 
stock,  etc.,  had  to  be  hauled  up  the  mountain  eight  thou- 
sand feet  high. 

[To  this  description  of  the  liquid  marvel  of  California  we  add  the 
author's  account  of  one  of  its  land  marvels,  a  grove  of  the  "  hig 
trees,"  the  vegetable  giants  of  the  world.] 


Tevib]        LAKE   TAHOE  AND   THE  BIO   TREES.  299 

The  Big  Trees,  as  they  are  technically  called,  are  of  a 
light,  bright  cinnamon  color,  and  have  a  diameter  at  the 
ground  of  from  twenty-five  to  forty  feet,  a  height  of  from 
throe  hundred  to  four  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  and  a  bark 
that  will  average  one  foot  and  a  half  in  thickness  where  it 
has  not  been  molested.  I  have  seen  blocks  of  bark  that 
would  measure  thirty-two  inches  in  thickness,  and  I  have 
no  doubt  but  some  trees  have  bark  that  would  average 
nearly  three  feet.  The  texture  is  loose  and  spongy,  and 
when  cut  transversely  it  is  often  worked  into  pincushions 
and  such  like  toys.  The  wood  is  light  as  the  cedar,  but  is 
susceptible  of  a  very  fine  polish.  I  had  a  cane  made  from 
a  piece  that  I  bought  of  the  guide,  and  I  found  it  would 
polish  equal  to  mahogany.  The  Mariposa  grove  is  a  State 
park,  together  with  Yosemite  Valley,  given  by  the  United 
States  government. 

This  grove,  "  together  with  the  Yosemite  Valley  with  its 
branches  and  spurs,  an  estimated  length  of  fifteen  miles, 
and  in  average  width  one  mile  back  from  the  edge  of  the 
precipice  on  each  side  of  the  valley,  with  the  stipulation, 
nevertheless,  that  the  State  shall  accept  this  grant  on  the 
express  condition  that  the  premises  shall  be  held  for  public 
use  and  recreation,  and  shall  be  inalienable  for  all  time." 
So  it  is  absolutely  impossible  to  get  a  bit  of  bark  or  piece 
of  wood  except  from  the  guide,  who  is  allowed  to  gather 
them  from  the  outskirts  of  the  grove  from  a  tree  that  has 
fallen  or  one  that  stands  outside  of  the  prescribed  limits. 

There  has  but  one  fallen,  however,  since  their  discovery, 
and  that  was  felled  by  men's  hands.  It  was  done  by  im 
mense  augers.  It  took  five  men  twenty-two  days  to  fell 
the  tree,  equal  to  the  services  of  one  man  for  one  hundred 
and  ten  days.  Think  of  that,  nearly  four  months'  work, 
not  counting  any  time  lost  by  Sundays,  or  rainy  days,  or 
sickness,  to  fell  one  treel     That  tree  would  have  yielded 


300  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Tevib 

more  than  a  thousand  cords  of  four-foot  wood  and  a  hun- 
dred cords  of  bark,  more  than  eleven  hundred  cords  alto- 
gether. On  the  stump  of  this  tree  there  is  a  house — 
"  whose  foundation  is  sure" — thirty  feet  in  diameter.  This 
house  contains  room  enough  in  square  feet,  if  it  were  the 
right  shape,  for  a  parlor  twelve  by  sixteen,  a  dining-room 
ten  by  twelve,  a  kitchen  ten  by  twelve,  two  bedrooms  ten 
feet  square  each,  a  pantry  four  by  eight  feet,  two  clothes- 
presses  one  and  a  half  feet  deep  and  four  feet  wide,  and 
still  have  a  little  to  spare. 

The  foliage  of  these  trees  resembles  the  cedar  somewhat. 
They  bear  a  cone  not  more  than  two  inches  in  length,  and 
a  black  pitch  bitter  as  gall.  The  forests  at  present  have  a 
gloomy  appearance,  as  some  time  in  the  past,  no  one  knows 
when,  the  Indians,  the  better  to  facilitate  their  hunting, 
burned  off  the  chaparral  and  rubbish,  and,  as  a  matter  of 
course,  disfigured  the  trees  by  burning  off  nearly  all  the  bark. 

The  first  sight  of  these  monarchs  is  one  of  sore  disap- 
pointment. For  you  have  travelled  many  miles  where  the 
trees  are  all  large,  and  here,  surrounded  as  they  are  by  im- 
mense pines,  their  magnitude  is  not  appreciated.  But  their 
greatness  grows  very  rapidly  upon  you,  so  that  if  there 
was  at  first  disappointment,  there  is  now  a  greater  awe. 
Our  first  view  of  interest  was  the  Fallen  Monarch,  a  pon- 
derous old  trunk  stretched  out  upon  the  ground  for  more 
than  two  hundred  feet,  upon  which  a  stage  and  four  horses 
could  be  driven  with  ease.  We  had  to  go  a  hundred  feet 
towards  the  top  to  climb  upon  the  trunk.  The  diameter 
of  this  tree,  without  bark,  at  the  base  is  twenty -two  feet; 
one  hundred  feet  from  the  root  it  is  twelve  feet. 

How  long  this  monarch  has  been  sleeping  no  one  pre- 
tends to  know.  The  guide  says  it  is  no  more  decayed  now, 
to  all  appearances,  than  it  was  when  first  discovered.  The 
tree  of  greatest  interest  is  the  Grizzlv  Giant,  which  has 


Tkvis]        LAKE   TAHOE  AND   THE  BIG   TREES.  301 

an  altitude  of  more  than  three  hundred  feet.  The  first 
thing  we  did  to  try  its  magnitude  was  to  surround  it  on 
horseback,  passing  around  in  single  file,  the  head  of  one 
horse  to  the  tail  of  another.  It  called  into  requisition 
twenty-five  horses  out  of  the  twenty-eight  in  our  party  to 
complete  the  measurement.  This  is  not  considered  strictly 
correct,  mathematically  speaking,  but  it  indicates  the  size 
of  the  tree  by  horse  measurement. 

I  had  prepared  myself  with  a  good-sized  string,  and,  with 
the  help  of  a  friend,  made  close  calculation  four  feet  from  the 
ground,  and  found  it  to  be  ninety-three  feet,  giving  a  diam- 
eter of  thirty-one  feet.  This  tree  has  a  limb  one  hundred 
feet  from  the  ground  that  is  six  feet  in  diameter.  These 
trees  stand  around  us  in  quiet  grandeur,  but  to  write  of 
one  is  to  write  of  many,  hence  the  reader  must  not  be 
wearied  with  a  notice  of  each.  Pluto's  Chimney  is  a  hol- 
low tree,  standing  upright,  into  which  several  of  us  rode 
on  horseback.  Yonder  is  another  that  had  fallen  in  some 
past  age,  and  sixty  feet  or  more  of  it  had  burned  from  the 
root  upward,  and  then  towards  the  top  had  burned  in  two, 
leaving  a  barrel-shaped  or  hollow  part  of  the  trunk  some 
fifty  feet  in  length.  Through  this  we  all  rode  without  any 
inconvenience.  I  have  understood  that  several  have  ridden 
abreast  through  it,  which  I  do  not  think  improbable. 

This  completed  our  tour  among  these  forest  giants. 
There  are  two  groves — and,  properly  speaking,  but  two — 
of  these  Sequoia  gigantea,  the  Mariposa  and  Calaveras 
groves.  The  first  is  about  twenty  miles  south  of  Yosemito 
Valley,  perhaps  a  little  more,  while  the  latter  is  somo  fifty 
miles  northwest  of  the  valley.  Thus  it  will  be  seen  that 
they  are  not,  as  many  suppose,  in  the  great  Yosemito 
Valley. 

The  big  trees  of  California,  not  of  this  species,  however, 
are  not  confined  to  these  two  groves.     Many  of  the  noted 

20 


302  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Jackson 

redwood  species  (Sequoia  sempervirens)  used  to  grow  back 
of  Santa  Cruz,  many  of  which  are  standing  yet  that  were 
very  great  in  size.  We  once  upon  a  time,  with  five  others, 
rode  into  one  of  these  during  a  storm.  The  butt  was 
hollow,  and  large  enough  to  hold  at  least  twelve  men  on 
horseback,  and  was  not  less  than  two  hundred  and  fifty 
feet  in  height. 


THE  CHINESE  QUARTER  IN  SAN  FRANCISCO. 

HELEN  HUNT  JACKSON. 

[We  need  not  tell  who  Helen  Hunt  Jackson  is.  She  is  well  known 
to  American  readers  both  of  verse  and  prose  for  her  excellent  ability 
in  both  these  fields  of  literature.  Born  in  1831,  at  Amherst,  Massa- 
chusetts, the  daughter  of  Professor  N.  W.  Fiske,  she  married  first 
Mr.  Hunt,  of  the  United  States  Engineer  Corps,  and  after  his  death  a 
Mr.  Jackson.  She  died  in  1885.  From  her  work  entitled  "  Bits  of 
Travel  at  Home,"  a  series  of  racy  sketches  of  experience  east  and  west, 
we  extract  her  narrative  of  the  odd  and  amusing  things  she  saw  in  the 
Chinese  quarter  of  San  Francisco.] 

Sing,  Wo  &  Co.  keep  one  of  the  most  picturesque  shops 
on  Jackson  Street.  It  is  neither  grocer's,  nor  butcher's, 
nor  fishmonger's,  nor  druggist's ;  but  a  little  of  all  four. 
It  is  like  most  of  the  shops  on  Jackson  Street,  part  cellar, 
part  cellar-stairs,  part  sidewalk,  and  part  back  bedroom. 
On  the  sidewalk  are  platters  of  innumerable  sorts  of  little 
fishes, — little  silvery  fishes;  little  yellow  fishes,  with 
whiskers;  little  snaky  fishes  ;  round  flat  fishes;  little  slices 
of  big  fishes, — never  too  much  or  too  many  of  any  kind. 
Sparing  and  thrifty  dealers,  as  well  as  sparing  and  thrifty 
consumers,  are  the  Celestials.  Round  tubs  of  sprouted 
beans ;  platters  of  square  cakes  of  something  whose  con- 
sistency was  like   Dutch   cheese,  whose  color  was  vivid 


Jackson]     CHINESE  QUARTER  IN  SAN  FRANCISCO.     303 

yellow,  like  baker's  gingerbread,  and  whose  tops  were 
stamped  with  mysterious  letters;  long  roots,  as  long  as  the 
longest  parsnips,  but  glistening  white,  like  polished  tur- 
nips ;  cherries,  tied  up  in  stingy  little  bunches  of  ten  or 
twelve,  and  swung  in  all  the  nooks;  small  bunches  of  all 
conceivable  green  things,  from  celery  down  to  timothy 
grass,  tied  tight  and  wedged  into  corners,  or  swung  over- 
head;  dried  herbs,  in  dim  recesses;  pressed  chickens,  on 
shelves  (those  were  the  most  remarkable  things.  They 
were  semi-transparent,  thin,  skinny,  and  3'ellow,  and  looked 
almost  more  like  huge,  flattened  grasshoppers  than  like 
chickens ;  but  chickens  they  were,  and  no  mistake), — all 
these  were  on  the  trays,  on  the  sidewalk,  and  on  the  cellar- 
stairs. 

In  the  back  bedroom  were  Mrs.  Sing  and  Mrs.  Wo,  with 
several  little  Sings  and  Wos.  It  was  too  dark  to  see  what 
they  were  doing ;  for  the  only  light  came  from  the  open 
front  of  the  shop,  which  seemed  to  run  back  like  a  cave  in 
a  hill.  On  shelves  on  the  sides  were  teacups  and  teapots, 
and  plates  of  fantastic  shapes  and  gay  colors.  Sing  and 
Wo  were  most  courteous ;  but  their  interest  centred  en- 
tirely on  sales ;  and  I  could  learn  but  one  fact  from  them 
in  regard  to  any  of  their  goods.  It  was  either  "  Muchee 
good.  Englis  man  muchee  like,"  or  else,  "  China  man  like  ; 
Englis  man  no  like."  Why  should  I  wish  to  know  any- 
thing further  than  that  some  articles  would  be  agreeable  to 
"Englis  man's"  palate,  and  others  would  not?  This  must 
be  enough  to  regulate  my  purchases.  But  I  shall  always 
wish  I  knew  how  those  chickens  were  fattened  and  what 
the  vivid  yellow  cakes  were  made  of. 

[Next  our  traveller  looks  into  the  shop  of  Ty  Wing  &  Co.,  where 
nothing  appears  but  darkness,  dust  and  cobwebs,  and  two  Chinese 
women  eating  something  unknown  with  chopsticks ;  that  of  Chick 
Kee,  a  druggist,  with  feathers  and  banners  without  and  nothing  but 


304  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Jackson 

old  dried  roots  visible  within  ;  and  of  Tuck  "Wo,  a  restaurant-keeper, 
where  nothing  is  visible  that  she  has  the  courage  to  taste.] 

Moo,  On  &  Co.  come  next.  Their  shop  is  full,  crowded 
full, — bags,  bundles,  casks,  shelves,  piles,  bunches  of  utterly 
nondescript  articles.  It  sounds  like  an  absurd  exaggera- 
tion, but  it  is  literally  true,  that  the  only  articles  in  his 
shop  which  I  ever  saw  before  are  bottles.  There  are  a  few 
of  those ;  -but  the  purpose,  use,  or  meaning  of  every  other 
article  is  utterly  unknown  to  me.  There  are  things  that 
look  like  games,  like  toys,  like  lamps,  like  idols,  like  uten- 
sils of  lost  trades,  like  relics  of  lost  tribes,  like — well,  like  a 
pawnbroker's  stock,  just  brought  from  some  other  world. 
That  comes  nearest  to  it. 

Moo,  On  &  Co.  have  apparently  gone  back  for  more. 
Nobody  is  in  the  shop ;  the  door  is  wide  open.  I  wait  and 
wait,  hoping  that  some  one  will  come  along  who  can  speak 
English,  and  of  whom  I  may  ask  what  this  extraordinary 
show  means.  Timidly  I  touch  a  fluttering  bit,  which  hangs 
outside.  It  is  not  paper;  it  is  not  cloth  ;  it  is  not  woollen, 
silk,  nor  straw ;  it  is  not  leather ;  it  is  not  cobweb ;  it  is 
not  alive  ;  it  is  not  dead  ;  it  crisps  and  curls  at  my  touch  ; 
it  waves  backward,  though  no  air  blows  it.  A  sort  of 
horror  seizes  me.  It  may  be  a  piece  of  an  ancestor  of 
Moo's  doing  ghostly  duty  at  his  shop  door.  I  hasten  on 
and  half  fancy  that  it  is  behind  me,  as  I  halt  before  Dr. 
Li  Po  Tai's  door.  His  promises  to  cure,  diplomas,  and  so 
forth,  are  printed  in  gay-colored  strips  of  labels  on  each 
side.  Six  bright  balloons  swing  overhead  ;  and  peacocks' 
feathers  are  stuck  into  the  balloons.  I  have  heard  that  Dr. 
Li  Po  Tai  is  a  learned  man,  and  works  cures.  His  balloons 
are  certainly  very  brilliant.  .  .  . 

Then  comes  a  corner  stand,  with  glass  cases  of  candy. 
Almond  candy,  with  grains  of  rice  thick  on  the  top  ;  little 
bowls  of  pickles,  pears,  and  peppers;  platters  of  odd-shaped 


Jackson]     CHINESE  QUARTER  IN  SAN  FRANCISCO.     305 

nuts ;  and  beans  baked  black  as  coffee.  As  I  stand  look- 
ing curiously  at  these,  a  well-dressed  Chinaman  pauses  be- 
fore me,  and  making  a  gesture  with  his  hand  towards  tho 
stand,  says,  "  All  muchee  good.  Buy  eat.  Muchee  good." 
Hung  Wung,  the  proprietor,  is  kindled  to  hospitality  by 
this,  and  repeats  the  words,  "  Yaas,  muchee  good.  Take, 
eat,"  offering  me,  with  the  word,  the  bowl  of  peppers. 

Next  comes  a  very  gay  restaurant,  the  best  in  the  empire. 
Hang  Fee,  Low  &  Co.  keep  it,  and  foreigners  go  there  to 
drink  tea.  There  is  a  green  railed  balcony  across  the 
front,  swinging  full  of  high-colored  lanterns,  round  and 
square;  tablets  with  Chinese  letters  on  bright  grounds  are 
set  in  panels  on  the  walls ;  a  huge  rhinoceros  stands  in 
the  centre  of  the  railing :  a  tree  grows  out  of  the  rhi- 
noceros's back,  and  an  India  rubber  man  sits  at  the  foot  of 
the  tree.  China  figures  and  green  bushes  in  flower-pots 
are  ranged  all  along  the  railing.  Nowhere  except  in  the 
Chinese  Empire  can  there  be  seen  such  another  gaud}', 
grotesque  house  front.  We  make  an  appointment  on  the 
spot  to  take  some  of  Hang  Fee's  tea,  on  our  way  to  the 
Chinese  Theatre,  the  next  evening,  and  then  we  hurry 
home.  .  .  . 

After  all,  we  did  not  take  tea  at  Hang  Fee's  on  our  way 
to  the  theatre.  There  was  not  time.  As  it  was,  we  were 
late ;  and  when  we  entered  the  orchestra  had  begun  to 
play.  Orchestra !  It  is  necessary  to  use  that  name,  I  sup- 
pose, in  speaking  of  a  body  of  men  with  instruments,  who 
are  seated  on  a  stage,  furnishing  what  is  called  music  for  a 
theatrical  performance.  But  it  is  a  term  calculated  to 
mislead  in  this  instance.  Fancy  one  frog-pond,  one  Sun- 
day-school with  pumpkin  whistles,  one  militia  training,  and 
two  gongs  for  supper,  on  a  Fall  River  boat,  all  at  once, 
and  you  will  have  some  faint  idea  of  the  indescribable  noise 
which  saluted  our  ears  on  entering  that  theatre.  To  say 
I.— «  26* 


306  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Jackson 

that  we  were  deafened  is  nothing.  The  hideous  hubbub 
of  din  seemed  to  overlap  and  transcend  all  laws  and 
spheres  of  sound.  It  was  so  loud  we  could  not  see ;  it  was 
so  loud  we  could  not  breathe ;  it  was  so  loud  there  did  not 
seem  to  be  any  room  to  sit  down !  The  theatre  was  small 
and  low  and  dark.  The  pit  and  greater  part  of  the  gallery 
were  filled  with  Chinamen,  all  smoking.  One  corner  of 
the  gallery  was  set  aside  for  women.  That  was  full,  also, 
with  Chinese  women.  Every  woman's  hair  was  dressed 
in  the  manner  I  have  described  ["  drawn  back  from  her 
forehead,  twisted  tight  from  the  nape  of  the  neck  to  the 
crown  of  the  head,  stiffened  with  glue,  glistening  with  oil, 
and  made  into  four  huge  double  wings,  which  stood  out 
beyond  her  ears  on  either  side.  It  looked  a  little  like  two 
gigantic  black  satin  bats,  pinned  to  the  back  of  her  head, 
or  still  more  like  a  windmill  gone  into  mourning."]  The 
bat-like  flaps  projected  so  far  on  each  side  of  each  head 
that  each  woman  seemed  almost  to  be  joined  to  her  neigh- 
bors by  a  cartilaginous  band ;  and,  as  they  sat  almost 
motionless,  this  effect  was  heightened. 

The  stage  had  no  pretence  of  secrecy.  It  was  hung 
with  gay  banners  and  mysterious  labels.  Tall  plumes  of 
peacock's  feathers  in  the  corners  and  some  irregularly 
placed  chairs  were  all  the  furniture.  The  orchestra  sat  in 
chairs  at  the  back  of  the  stage.  Some  of  them  smoked  in 
the  intervals,  some  drank  tea.  A  little  boy  who  drummed 
went  out  when  he  felt  like  it;  and  the  fellow  with  the 
biggest  gong  had  evidently  no  plan  of  operations  at  all 
except  to  gong  as  long  as  his  arms  could  bear  it,  then  rest 
a  minute,  then  gong  again. 

"  Oh,  well,"  said  we,  as  we  wedged  and  squeezed  through 
the  narrow  passage-way  which  led  to  our  box,  "  it  will  only 
last  a  few  minutes.  We  shall  not  entirely  lose  our  hearing." 
Fatal  delusion.     It  never  stopped.     The  actors  came  out ; 


Jackson]     CHINESE  QUARTER  IN  SAN  FRANCISCO.     307 

the  play  began  ;  the  play  went  on;  still  the  hideous  hub- 
bub of  din  continued,  and  was  made  unspeakably  more 
hideous  by  the  voices  of  the  actors,  which  were  raised  to 
the  shrillest  falsetto  to  surmount  the  noise,  and  which 
sounded  like  nothing  in  nature  except  the  voices  of  frantic 

CillS.    •    •    • 

At  first,  in  spite  of  the  deafening  loudness  of  the  din, 
it  is  ludicrous  beyond  conception.  To  see  the  superbly 
dressed  Chinese  creatures, — every  one  of  them  as  perfectly 
and  exquisitely  dressed  as  the  finest  figures  on  their  satin 
fans  or  rice-paper  pictures,  and  looking  exactly  like  them, 
— to  see  these  creatures  strutting  and  sailing  and  sweeping 
and  bowing  and  bending,  beating  their  breasts  and  tearing 
their  beards,  gesticulating  and  rushing  about  in  an  utterly 
incomprehensible  play,  with  caterwauling  screams  issuing 
from  their  mouths,  is  for  a  few  minutes  so  droll  that  you 
laugh  till  tears  run,  and  think  you  will  go  to  the  Chinese 
Theatre  every  night  as  long  as  you  stay  in  San  Francisco. 
I  said  so  to  the  friend  who  had  politely  gone  with  me.  He 
had  been  to  the  performance  before.  He  smiled  pityingly, 
and  yawned  behind  his  hand.  At  the  end  of  half  an  hour, 
I  whispered,  "Twice  a  week  will  do."  In  fifteen  minutes 
more,  I  said,  "I  think  we  will  go  out  now.  I  can't  endure 
this  racket  another  minute.  But,  nevertheless,  I  shall 
come  once  more,  with  an  interpreter.  I  must  and  will 
know  what  all  this  mummery  means." 

The  friend  smiled  again  incredulously.  But  we  did  go 
again,  with  an  interpreter;  and  the  drollest  thing  of  all 
was  to  find  out  how  very  little  all  the  caterwauling  and 
rushing  and  bending  and  bawling  and  sweeping  and  strut- 
ting really  meant.  The  difficulty  of  getting  an  interpreter 
was  another  interesting  feature  in  the  occasion.  A  lady, 
who  had  formerly  been  a  missionary  in  China,  had 
promised  to  go  with  us;  and,  as  even  she  was  not  sure  of 


308  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Jackson 

being  able  to  understand  Chinese  caterwauled,  she  proposed 
to  take  one  of  the  boys  from  the  missionary  school,  to  in- 
terpret to  her  before  she  interpreted  to  us.     So  we  drove 

to  the  school.     Mrs. went  in.     The  time  seemed  very 

long  that  we  waited.  At  last  she  came  back,  looking  both 
amused  and  vexed,  to  report  that  not  one  of  those  intelli- 
gent Christian  Chinese  would  leave  his  studies  that  evening 
to  go  to  the  theatre. 

"  I  suppose  it  is  an  old  story  to  them,"  said  I. 

"  Not  at  all,"  said  she.  "  On  the  contrary,  hardly  a  boy 
there  has  been  inside  the  theatre.  But  they  cannot  bear 
to  lose  a  minute  from  their  lessons.  Mr.  Loomis  really 
urged  some  of  them  ;  but  it  was  of  no  use." 

In  a  grocery  store  on  Kearney  Street,  however,  we 
found  a  clever  young  man,  less  absorbed  in  learning ;  and 
he  went  with  us  as  interpreter.  Again  the  same  hideous 
din  ;  the  same  clouds  of  smoke ;  the  same  hubbub  of  cater- 
wauling. But  the  dramatis  personce  were  few.  Luckily 
for  us,  our  first  lesson  in  the  Chinese  drama  was  to  be  a 
simple  one.  And  here  I  pause,  considering  whether  my 
account  of  the  play  will  be  believed.  This  is  the  traveller's 
great  perplexity.  The  incredible  things  are  always  the 
only  things  worth  telling;  but  is  it  best  to  tell  them? 

The  actors  in  this  play  were  three, — a  lady  of  rank,  her 
son,  and  her  man  cook.  The  play  opened  with  a  soliloquy 
by  the  lady.  She  is  sitting  alone,  sewing.  Her  husband 
has  gone  to  America ;  he  did  not  bid  her  farewell.  Her 
only  son  is  at  school.     She  is  sad  and  lonely.     She  weeps. 

Enter  boy.     He  asks  if  dinner  is  ready. 

Enter  cook.  Cook  says  it  is  not  time.  Boy  says  he 
wants  dinner.  Cook  says  he  shall  not  have  it.  This  takes 
fifteen  minutes. 

Mother  examines  boy  on  his  lessons.  Boy  does  not 
know  them ;  tries  to  peep.     Mother  reproves ;  makes  boy 


Jackson]     CHINESE  QUARTER  IN  SAN  FRANCISCO.      309 

kneel ;    prepares  to  whip ;    whips.      Mother  weeps  j    hoy 
catches  flies  on  the  floor ;  bites  her  finger. 

Enter  cook  to  see  what  the  noise  means.  Cook  takes 
boy  to  task.  Boy  stops  his  ears.  Cook  bawls.  Cook 
kneels  to  lady ;  reproves  her  also  ;  tells  her  she  must  keep 
her  own  temper,  if  she  would  train  her  boy. 

Lady  sulks,  naturally.  Boy  slips  behind  and  cuts  her 
work  out  of  her  embroidery  frame.  Cook  attacks  boy. 
Cook  sings  a  lament,  and  goes  out  to  attend  to  dinner ;  but 
returns  in  frantic  distress.  During  his  absence  everything 
has  boiled  over;  everything  has  been  burned  to  a  crisp. 
Dinner  is  ruined.  Cook  now  reconciles  mother  and  son ; 
drags  son  to  his  knees ;  makes  him  repeat  words  of  sup- 
plication. While  he  does  this  cook  turns  his  back  to  the 
audience,  takes  off  his  beard  carefully,  lays  it  on  the  floor, 
while  he  drinks  a  cupful  of  tea. 

This  is  all,  literally  all.  It  took  an  hour  and  a  half.  The 
audience  listened  with  intensest  interest.  The  gesticula- 
tions, the  expressions  of  face,  the  tones  of  the  actors,  all 
conveyed  the  idea  of  the  deepest  tragedV.  Except  for  our 
interpreter,  I  should  have  taken  the  cook  for  a  soothsayer, 
priest,  a  highwayman  and  murderer,  alternately.  I  should 
have  supposed  that  all  the  dangers,  hopes,  fears,  delights 
possible  in  the  lives  of  three  human  beings  were  going  on 
on  that  stage.  Now  we  saw  how  very  far-fetched  and  pre- 
posterous had  probably  been  our  theories  of  the  play  we 
had  seen  before,  we  having  constructed  a  most  brilliant 
plot  from  our  interpretation  of  the  pantomime. 

After  this  domestic  drama  came  a  fierce  spectacular 
play,  too  absurd  to  be  described,  in  which  nations  went  to 
war  because  a  king's  monkey  had  been  killed.  And  the 
kin^s  and  their  armies  marched  in  at  one  door  and  out 
at  the  other,  sat  on  gilt  thrones,  fought  with  gilt  swords, 
tumbled  each  other  head  over  heels  with  as  much  vigor 


310  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Jacksow 

and  just  as  much  art  as  small  boys  play  the  battle  of 
Bunker  Hill  with  the  nursery  chairs  on  a  rainy  day.  But 
the  dresses  of  these  warlike  monarchs  were  gorgeous  and 
fantastic  beyond  description.  Long,  gay-colored  robes, 
blazoned  and  blazing  with  gold  and  silver  embroidery; 
small  flags,  two  on  each  side,  stuck  in  at  their  shoulders, 
and  projecting  behind ;  helmets,  square  breastplates  of 
shining  stones,  and  such  decorations  with  feathers  as  pass 
belief.  Several  of  them  had  behind  each  ear  a  long,  slender 
bird-of-Paradise  feather.  These  feathers  reached  out  at 
least  three  feet  behind,  and  curved  and  swayed  with  each 
step  the  man  took.  When  three  or  four  of  these  were  on 
the  stage  together,  marching  and  countermarching,  wrest- 
ling, fighting,  and  tumbling,  why  these  tail  feathers  did 
not  break,  did  not  become  entangled  with  each  other,  no 
mortal  can  divine.  Others  had  huge  wings  of  silver 
filigree-work  behind  their  ears.  These  also  swayed  and 
flapped  at  each  step. 

Sometimes  there  would  be  forty  or  fifty  of  these  nonde- 
script creatures  on  the  stage  at  once,  running,  gesticulating, 
attacking,  retreating,  howling,  bowing,  bending,  tripping 
each  other  up,  stalking,  strutting,  and  all  the  while  cater- 
wauling, and  all  the  time  the  drums  beating,  the  gongs 
ringing,  and  the  stringed  instruments  and  the  castanets 
and  the  fifes  playing.  It  was  dazzling  as  a  gigantic  kalei- 
doscope and  deafening  as  a  cotton-mill.  After  the  plays 
came  wonderful  tumbling  and  somersaulting.  To  see  such 
gymnastic  feats  performed  by  men  in  long  damask  night- 
gowns and  with  wide  trousers  is  uncommonly  droll.  This 
is  really  the  best  thing  at  the  Chinese  Theatre, — the  only 
thing,  in  fact,  which  is  not  incomprehensibly  childish. 

My  last  glimpse  at  the  Chinese  Empire  was  in  Mr. 
Loomis's  Sunday-school.  I  had  curiosity  to  see  the  faces 
of  the  boys  who  had  refused  our  invitation  to  the  theatre. 


Jackson]     CHINESE  QUARTER  IN  SAN  FRANCISCO.     311 

As  soon  as  I  entered  the  room  I  was  asked  to  take  charge 
of  a  class.     In  vain  I  demurred  and  refused. 

"  You  surely  can  hear  them  read  a  chapter  in  the  New 
Testament." 

It  seemed  inhuman  as  well  as  unchristian  to  refuse,  for 
there  were  several  classes  without  teachers,  many  good 
San  Franciscans  having  gone  into  the  country.  There 
were  the  eager  yellow  faces  watching  for  my  reply.  So  I 
sat  down  in  a  pew  with  three  Chinese  young  men  on  my 
right  hand,  two  on  my  left,  and  four  in  the  pew  in  front, 
all  with  English  and  Chinese  Testaments  in  their  hands. 
The  lesson  for  the  day  was  the  fifteenth  chapter  of  Matthew. 
They  read  slowly,  but  with  greater  accuracy  of  emphasis 
and  pronunciation  than  I  expected.  Their  patience  and 
eagerness  in  trying  to  correct  a  mispronunciation  were 
touching.     At  last  came  the  end  of  the  chapter. 

"Now  do  you  go  on  to  the  next  chapter?"  said  I. 

"  No.  Arx-play-in,"  said  the  brightest  of  the  boys. 
"  You  arx-play-in  what  we  rade  to  you." 

I  wished  the  floor  of  that  Sunday-school  chapel  would 
open  and  swallow  me  up.  To  expound  the  fifteenth  of 
Matthew  at  all ;  above  all,  to  expound  it  in  English  which 
those  poor  souls  could  understand!  In  despair  I  glanced 
at  the  clock:  it  lacked  thirty  minutes  of  the  end  of  school; 
at  the  other  teachers :  they  were  all  glibly  responding. 
Guiltily  I  said,  "  Very  well.  Begin  and  read  the  chapter 
over  again,  very  slowly ;  and  when  you  como  to  any  word 
you  do  not  understand,  tell  me,  and  I  will  try  to  explain  it 
to  you." 

Their  countenances  fell.  This  was  not  the  way  they 
had  usually  been  taught.  But  with  the  meekness  of  a 
down-trodden  people  they  obeyed.  It  worked  even  better 
than  I  had  hoped.  Poor  souls  1  they  probably  did  not  un- 
derstand enough  to  select  the  words  which  perplexed  them. 


312  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Brace 

They  trudged  patiently  through  their  verses  again  without 
question.  But  my  Charybdis  was  near.  The  sixth  verse 
came  to  the  brightest  boy.  As  he  read,  "  Thus  have  ye 
made  the  commandment  of  God  of  none  effect  by  your 
tradition,"  he  paused  after  the  word  tradition.   I  trembled. 

"  Arx-play-in  trardition,"  he  said. 

"  What  ?"  said  I,  feebly,  to  gain  a  second's  more  of  time. 
"  What  word  did  you  say  ?" 

"Trardition,"  he  persisted.  "What  are  trardition? 
Arx-play-in." 

What  I  said  I  do  not  know.  Probably  I  should  not  tell 
if  I  did.  But  I  am  very  sure  that  never  in  all  my  life 
have  I  found  myself,  and  never  in  all  the  rest  of  my  life 
shall  I  find  myself,  in  so  utterly  desperate  a  dilemma  as  I 
was  then,  with  those  patient,  earnest,  oblique  eyes  fixed 
on  me,  and  the  gentle  Chinese  voice  reiterating,  "What 
are  trardition  ?" 


MARIPOSA  GROVE  AND  YOSEMITE  VALLEY. 

CHARLES   LORING  BRACE. 

[Our  sketches  of  travel  in  America  will  not  be  complete  without 
descriptive  narratives  relating  to  its  great  natural  wonders,  of  which 
the  United  States  possesses  more  examples  than  any  other  country  on 
the  globe.  The  present  selection,  therefore,  from  Brace's  "The  New 
West,  or  California  in  1867-68,"  is  devoted  to  a  brief  account  of  the 
monster  trees  of  that  State  and  the  scenic  marvels  of  the  Yosemite 
Valley.] 

The  great  pleasure  of  the  American  continent  will  here- 
after be  the  journey  to  the  Yosemite.  There  is  no  one 
object  of  nature  in  the  world,  except  Niagara,  to  equal  it 
in  attraction.     Whenever  the  Pacific  road  brings  the  two 


Beack]  MARIPOSA  GROVE  AND  YOSEMITE  VALLEY.     313 

coasts  within  a  fortnight  of  each  oiher,  innumerable  parties 
will  be  made  up  to  visit  it.  I  have  been  tolerably  familiar, 
by  foot-journeys,  with  Switzerland,  Tyrol,  and  Norway, 
and  I  can  truly  say  that  no  one  scene  in  those  grand  re- 
gions can  compai'e  equally,  in  all  its  combinations,  with  the 
wonderful  Canon  of  the  Yosemite.  It  is  a  matter  of  con- 
gratulation, also,  to  me,  that  I  saw  it  before  any  road,  or 
coach,  or  rail-car  had  approached  it.  It  ought  not  to  be 
visited  otherwise  than  as  our  party  journeyed  to  it,— on 
horses  winding  in  picturesque  train  over  velvety  trails, 
beneath  the  gigantic  pines  of  the  Sierras.  .  .  . 

Among  all  my  many  travelling  experiences  in  various 
countries,  I  do  not  think  I  can  ever  forget  the  romance 
and  the  delicious  beauty  of  that  first  night's  ride  towards 
the  Yosemite.  The  trail  was  barely  wide  enough  for  two 
to  ride  abreast,  winding  under  majestic  pines,  over  moun- 
tains, and  down  wide,  deep  dells,  each  step  of  the  horses 
springing  elastic  from  soft  pine-leaves.  The  sun  soon  set, 
and  a  magnificent  moon  arose,  giving  us  at  one  time  a  broad 
belt  of  light  over  the  path,  and  then  leaving  us  to  descend 
into  a  mysterious  gulf  of  darkness,  and  then  casting  strange 
shadows  and  half-lights  through  the  pine-branches  over  our 
procession  of  riders.  As  we  penetrated  farther  into  the 
forest  we  began  to  wind  about  beneath  trees  such  as  lew 
of  us  had  ever  seen, — the  superb  sugar-pine,  perhaps  the 
most  perfect  tree  in  nature,  here  starting  with  a  diameter 
of  from  seven  to  twelve  feet,  and  mounting  up  with  most 
symmetrical  branches  to  the  height  say  of  Trinity  Church 
spire  (two  hundred  and  fifty  to  two  hundred  and  sixty 
feet);  on  the  end  of  its  branches  cones  hanging  a  foot  long. 
Sometimes  we  came  forth  from  the  forest  for  a  few  mo- 
ments, and  had  grand  glimpses  of  great  mountain  valleys, 
only  partly  revealed  in  the  glorious  moonlight.  Most  of 
the  party  were  old  travellers,  and  were  rather  impervious 
o  27 


314  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Brack 

to  sensations,  but  we  all  agreed  that  this  was  a  new  one, 
and  gave  a  most  promising  augury  of  the  Yosemite  excur- 
sion. After  fourteen  miles — an  easy  ride — we  all  reached 
Clark's  Eanch  at  a  late  hour,  ready  lor  supper  and  bed. 

[The  next  morning]  we  started  at  not  too  early  an  hour 
for  a  forest-ride  to  the  Trees,  Mr.  Clark  kindly  guiding  us. 
What  may  be  called  the  avenue  to  these  hoary  monuments 
of  antiquity  lies  through  a  gigantic  forest  of  sugar-pines, 
themselves  some  two  hundred  to  two  hundred  and  fifty 
feet  high ;  so  that  when  you  reach  the  mighty  towers  of 
vegetation  you  lose  a  little  the  sense  of  their  vast  height. 
I  searched  curiously  as  we  rode  through  the  forest  for  the 
conditions  which  should  produce  such  monsters  of  growth. 
It  must  be  remembered  that  the  Sequoia  gigantea  is  not 
found  merely  here,  or  at  Calaveras  and  its  neighborhood. 
There  appears  to  be  a  belt  of  them  running  along  the  slope 
of  the  Sierras,  about  four  thousand  and  five  thousand  feet 
above  the  sea-level,  and  as  far  south  as  Visalia.  They  are 
so  plentiful  near  that  place  as  to  be  sawed  for  lumber, 
though  what  so  light  a  wood  could  be  used  for  I  can 
hardly  think.  In  the  neighborhood  of  the  latter  place  the 
Indians  report  a  tree,  far  in  the  forest,  surpassing  in  gran- 
deur anything  ever  seen ;  but  thus  far  no  white  man  has 
ever  cast  eyes  on  it.  It  is  a  mistake,  too,  to  suppose  tho 
race  wearing  out.  I  saw,  both  hero  and  in  Calaveras, 
young  giant  Sequoice,  beginning  patiently  their  thousand 
years  of  growth  with  all  the  vigor  of  their  grand  ances- 
tors ;  some  of  but  four  hundred  years,  mere  youths,  were 
growing  splendidly.  There  are  fewer  young  trees  here 
than  in  Calaveras,  because  fire  or  some  other  cause  has 
swept  among  the  underbrush  of  all  trees,  and  must  have 
destroyed  many  of  these  burly  saplings. 

The  Sequoia  grows  on  mountain-slopes,  where  the  slow 
wash  of  water,  through  ages,  brings  down  minute  particles 


Brace]  MARIPOSA  GROVE  AND  YOSEMITE  VALLEY.     315 

of  fertilizing  rocks,  and  the  decayed  vegetation  of  count- 
less centuries,  with  the  moisture  of  eternal  springs,  water 
and  feed  its  roots.  It  enjoys  a  sun  of  the  tropics  without 
a  cloud  for  six  months,  and  has  the  balmy  air  of  the  Pa- 
cific, with  incessant  and  gentle  moisture,  and  a  warm  cov- 
ering of  snow  for  its  winter.  Beneath  its  roots,  the  ground 
never  freezes.  As  has  been  well  said,  "  It  has  nothing  to 
do  but  grow  ;"  and  so  with  all  the  favorable  conditions  that 
nature  can  offer — air  and  sun  and  moisture — it  pumps  up 
its  food  from  the  everlasting  hills,  and  builds  up  its  slow, 
vegetable-like  substance  during  century  after  century  into 
a  gigantic,  symmetrical,  and  venerable  pile,  while  nations 
begin  and  pass  away  beneath  its  shadow. 

Think  of  lying  under  a  tree  beneath  which  the  contem- 
porary of  Attila  or  Constantine  might  have  rested,  and 
which  shall  defy  the  storm,  perhaps,  when  the  present  po- 
litical divisions  of  the  world  are  utterly  passed  away,  and 
the  names  of  Washington  and  Lincoln  are  among  the 
heroes  of  a  vague  past. 

But  how  to  give  an  impression  of  its  size  !  If  my  read- 
ers will  imagine  a  Sequoia  placed  beside  Trinity  Church, 
he  must  conceive  it  filling  up  one  of  our  largest  dwelling- 
houses,  say  a  diameter  of  thirty  feet,  with  a  circumference 
of  ninety  feet ;  the  bark  of  this  gigantic  trunk  will  be  light, 
porous,  and  reddish  in  color,  with  many  scars  upon  it  of 
fire  (its  great  enemy)  ;  then,  perhaps,  at  the  height  of  the 
Trinity  belfry  (say  one  hundred  feet),  two  opposing  huge 
branches  will  protrude,  it  may  be,  themselves,  of  the  size 
of  large  trees  (say  eight  feet  in  diameter) ;  these  will  be 
twisted  and  much  broken ;  above  them  will  come  forth 
other  heavy  branches,  which  show  the  marks  and  blows  of 
the  storms  of  a  thousand  years  or  more,  for  the  giant,  so 
far  above  his  fellows,  meets  a  continual  battering  from  the 
gales  of  the  mountains. 


316  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Brace 

There  is  no  symmetry  in  his  top,  or  delicacy  and  grace 
in  his  outline  ;  he  has  battled  and  struggled  with  the  storm 
for  too  many  centuries  to  preserve  an  artistic  appear- 
ance. He  looks  the  giant  of  the  forest,  broad-rooted  and 
strong-limbed,  rough  und  weather-beaten,  but  defying  snow 
and  frost  and  hurricane  for  thousands  of  years,  and  still 
sheltering  bird  and  beast  and  cattle  beneath  his  grand 
shadow.  .  .  . 

We  visited  one  big  tree  in  Calaveras  which  had  been 
blown  over  two  years  before.  The  enormous  weight  which 
each  tree  carries  makes  it  more  difficult  to  bear  the  gales, 
as  it  overtops  the  forest.  Perhaps  any  ordinary  wood, 
such  as  oak  or  maple,  would  increase  the  specific  gravity, 
so  that  at  three  hundred  feet  high  the  leverage  on  the  roots 
would  be  too  great  to  bear  any  strain  of  a  gale ;  but  this 
wood  is  almost  like  cork, — lighter  than  any  wood  on  the 
Eastern  coast.  The  fall  of  this  mighty  tower,  they  say, 
was  heard  for  miles  around,  and  made  the  earth  tremble. 
Where  it  fell  it  has  buried  its  top  deep  in  the  ground,  so 
that  there  is  quite  a  ravine  made  by  the  blow  in  the  earth. 
You  strike  the  trunk  where  it  is  still  a  large  tree,  and  then 
walk  upon  it  some  two  hundred  feet  towards  the  roots. 
When  you  reach  the  roots  you  are  upon  a  height  equal 
to  the  roof  of  a  moderate-sized  house,  and  a  fall  from  the 
trunk  would  be  dangerous.     You  descend  by  a  ladder. 

If  I  recollect  rightly,  there  were  three  hundred  and 
sixty-five  trees  in  this  Mariposa  Grove.  I  measured  one 
trunk,  broken  off  at  the  top,  where  it  was  a  foot  in  diame- 
ter, which  was  about  two  hundred  and  ninety  feet  in  length, 
and  estimating  thirty  feet  as  the  length  of  the  part  broken 
off,  it  must  have  been  some  three  hundred  and  twenty  feet 
high.  We  lunched  near  a  "  camp"  of  the  Geological  Sur- 
vey, in  the  heart  of  the  grove,  lying  on  our  backs  beneath 
the  gigantic  canopies,  and  feeling  like  pigmies  at  the  feet 


Brace]  MARIPOSA  GROVE  AND  YOSEMITE  VALLEY.     317 

of  these  giants.  The  younger  trees  were  often  wreathed 
with  a  strange,  yellow,  hanging  moss.  Our  ladies  were 
deeply  interested  in  a  remarkable  flower  which  grew  be- 
neath the  snow,  a  few  patches  of  which  still  remained  here 
in  June.  It  was  a  blood-red  flower  of  a  fleshy-like  sub- 
stance, like  the  Pyrola,  or  "  Dutchman's  pipe,"  growing 
somewhat  like  a  garden  hyacinth.  Its  stems  were  clus- 
tered, from  six  to  ten  inches  high,  with  long,  erect  scales, 
broader  below  and  gradually  narrower,  and  finally  be- 
coming bracts.  The  flowers  were  numerous,  and  occupied 
the  upper  half  of  the  stem.     It  is  the  Sarcodes  sanguinea. 

[Leaving  the  Big  Tree  grove,  the  travellers  made  a  farther  ride  of 
twenty-five  miles  through  the  Sierras  to  the  Yosemite,  the  first  view  of 
which  impressed  them  deeply.] 

No  aspect  of  nature  I  have  ever  looked  upon,  no  sight 
of  the  desolate  ocean,  heaving  and  lashing  in  mighty  surges 
beneath  wintry  storm,  or  sudden  view  of  Alpine  snow- 
peaks  through  rifts  of  black  thunder-clouds,  or  glimpses 
of  Norwegian  coast-glaciers  through  the  lulls  of  an  Arctic 
gale,  or  even  Niagara  itself,  was  so  full  of  the  inspiration  of 
awe  as  this  first  opening  view  of  the  Yosemite  Canon.  All 
other  scenes  of  grandeur  and  beauty  must  fade  away  in  my 
memory  when  this  vision  is  forgotten.  Before  the  mighty 
powers  which  had  shaped  this  tremendous  gorge,  and  in 
presence  of  this  scene  of  unspeakable  and  indescribable 
beauty  and  majesty,  man  and  his  works  seemed  to  sink 
away  to  nothingness.  ...  I  almost  felt  as  if  I  had  known 
nothing  of  the  canon  before,  so  surprising  were  the  effects 
of  coloring  and  shadow.  It  must  be  remembered  we  had 
struck  the  gorge  on  one  of  its  lateral  walls,  say  about  four 
miles  from  its  western  end.  There  is  no  approach  to  it 
from  below  up  the  stream.  As  we  lay  on  the  edge  of  the 
cliff  we  gazed  up  a  narrow  green  valley  perfectly  flat,  from 

21* 


318  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Brace 

a  mile  to  half  a  mile  wide,  and  winding,  some  six  miles 
above,  between  enormous  cliffs  and  precipices,  a  small, 
bright,  sparkling  stream  in  the  middle,  fringed  with  green 
grass  or  forest-trees.  The  wall,  over  the  edge  of  which  we 
were  looking,  was  nearly  three-quarters  of  a  mile  high,  and 
far  below,  the  oaks  and  willows  and  poplars  and  pines  in 
the  green  intervale  looked  like  little  shrubs.  On  the  other 
side,  a  short  distance  beyond,  was  the  grand  bluff  of  El 
Capitan,  a  sheer  precipice  of  nearly  four  thousand  feet,  its 
light  granite  pile,  in  the  evening  light,  the  most  majestic 
cliff  that  human  eye  has  looked  upon  ;  beyond  were  other 
bluffs  and  precipices,  pearly  gray  and  purplish-white,  with 
green  fringes  below,  and  dark  archways  or  fantastic  fig- 
ures traced  by  shadows  on  their  surface.  There  were  but- 
tresses, as  of  gigantic  cathedrals,  and  archways  such  as 
might  support  hills  of  granite,  and  domes  where  a  moun- 
tain was  the  substructure,  and  half  domes,  and  peaks  whose 
regular  succession  has  given  them  the  name  of  "  Brothers," 
— all  varying  in  color  and  shadow,  incessantly,  with  the 
receding  light;  some  with  the  delicious  cool  gray  of  the 
rock  color ;  some  white,  with  a  reddish  shade ;  others  faint 
purple ;  others  resplendent  in  pink  and  brilliant  purple ; 
while  over  their  edges,  giving  a  joyous  life  to  the  scene, 
rushed  sparkling  silver  streams,  in  innumerable  waterfalls, 
dashing  into  the  green  valley  below.  .  .  .  But  the  scene 
was  changing.  Over  the  valley,  the  heavy  shadow  of  El 
Capitan  continually  increased  its  gigantic  breadth  of  shade; 
beyond  him  the  "  Arches,"  which,  to  be  seen  at  that  dis- 
tance, must  be  a  thousand  feet  in  height,  grew  each  in- 
stant more  strongly  marked,  but  still  farther  beyond  to 
the  east  the  North  Dome  and  the  Half  Dome  were  golden 
and  purple  in  the  evening  light,  and  yet  beyond  the  still 
white  peaks  of  the  Sierras  towered  above  in  the  pale 
blue. 


Brace]  MARIPOSA  GROVE  AND  YOSEMITE  VALLEY.     319 

On  our  side  of  the  vast  gorge  the  foot  of  the  various 
precipices  and  cliffs  was  covered  with  detritus,  making, 
near  the  bottom,  a  considerable  slope,  on  which  grew  many- 
evergreen  trees. 

On  the  other  side  there  was  one  line  of  massive  rock, 
which  fell  apparently  plumb,  without  a  break  or  curve, 
for  nearly  four  thousand  feet,  and  at  its  base,  so  hard  was 
the  material,  there  seemed  no  recent  detritus  at  all.  One 
could  evidently  touch  the  very  bottom  of  the  immense 
fall  of  rock.  .  .  . 

The  form  of  the  canon  is  unique,  nothing  in  Europe 
resembling  it :  the  immense  vertical  walls  rising  so  abruptly 
from  the  green  vale ;  the  peaks,  too,  which  surround  it, 
being  original,  even  in  the  Sierras;  the  immense,  inacces- 
sible, concentric  masses  of  granite, — domes,  or  half-domes, 
as  if  melted  in  some  gigantic  mould,  and  then,  when  cooled, 
left  standing  in  the  air. 

One  of  the  grandest  and  most  beautiful  objects  in  the 
valley  was  directly  opposite  our  hotel,  and  its  music  never 
ceased,  day  or  night, — the  Yosemite  Fall.  The  stream 
which  bears  this  name  heads  about  ten  miles  away,  and 
then  flows  down,  almost  directly  over  the  mighty  preci- 
pice, into  the  valley  below, — a  depth  of  two  thousand  five 
hundred  and  fifty  feet.  At  this  time  it  is  about  thirty-five 
feet  wide  by  two  or  three  deep.  The  fall  has  almost  the 
appearance  of  one  grand  shoot  of  water,  but  it  has,  in 
reality,  three  divisions:  the  first  is  a  descent  of  fifteen 
hundred  feet  on  a  led<re  (as  it  seems),  though  it  is,  in  fact, 
a  shelf  of  rock,  a  third  of  a  mile  broad  ;  then  follow  a 
series  of  cascades  for  six  hundred  and  twenty-five  feet,  and 
a  final  leap  of  four  hundred.  There  is  water  enough  now 
to  give  a  bright,  foaming,  grand  sweep  of  the  whole  cata- 
ract. It  is  certainly  one  of  the  most  beautiful  objects  the 
human  eye  can  ever  gaze  upon !    We  never  wearied  of  riding 


320  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Brack 

out  over  the  green  meadows  and  gay,  wild  flowers  to  get 
some  new  aspect  of  it. 

The  only  fall  to  compare  it  with,  that  I  have  ever  seen, 
is  the  Voring  Foss,  in  Norway.  This  is  a  fall  of  nine  hun- 
dred and  fifty  feet,  but  the  water  is  so  scanty  that  it  is  all 
resolved  into  wreaths  of  mist  before  it  reaches  the  bottom ; 
and  it  makes  but  little  impression  on  the  mind,  compared 
with  the  Yosemite  Fall.  It  is,  moreover,  confined  in  a 
narrow,  dark  gorge,  and  must  be  seen  usually  from  above. 
In  seeing  the  Californian  fall,  I  did  not  even  think  of  the 
Norwegian. 

The  amount  of  water,  at  this  season,  adds  immensely  to 
the  cheerfulness  and  life  of  the  valley ;  but  it  also  occa- 
sioned us  a  great  deal  of  trouble  in  getting  round.  We 
were  mired  several  times,  and  twice  one  of  our  ladies  was 
thrown  on  the  soft  greensward. 

But  the  scampering  gallops  through  the  groves  under 
these  grand  scenes,  and  the  quiet  amblings  amid  such 
beauty  and  sublimity,  were  pleasures  which  nothing 
marred.  In  our  rides  down  the  canon,  we  were  struck  by 
the  grand  mass  of  the  Sentinel  Dome,  four  thousand  one 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  above  the  valley,  and  said  to  give 
the  finest  point  of  view  in  the  whole  region  round ;  the 
valley  itself,  it  must  be  remembered,  being  over  four  thou- 
sand feet  above  the  sea-level.  Then  three-quarters  of  a 
mile  beyond  is  the  majestic  buttress  of  the  Sentinel  Rock, 
three  thousand  feet  high,  of  which  a  thousand  feet  is  a 
smooth  obelisk ;  opposite  to  this  are  the  Three  Brothers, 
the  highest  three  thousand  eight  hundred  and  thirty  feet, 
and  each  regularly  lower  than  the  next. 

Then  comes  the  Cathedral  Rock,  two  thousand  six  hun- 
dred and  sixty  feet,  with  two  perfect  spires,  the  most  pic- 
turesque object  in  the  valley ;  then  the  exquisite  Pohono, 
or  Bridal  Veil,  a  flashing  fall  of  a  thousand  feet  swaying 


Bback]  MARIPOSA  GROVE  AND  YOSEMITE  VALLEY.     321 

like  a  silvery  plume  in  the  mountain  breezes,  and  the  grand 
feature  of  the  gorge,  of  which  I  have  so  often  spoken,  El 
Capitan,  three  thousand  six  hundred  feet. 

To  the  east  of  the  hotel,  about  two  miles  above  the 
falls,  the  valley  ends  and  divides  into  three  canons,  each 
containing  scenery  as  remarkable  as  those  of  the  main 
gorge.  The  northwest  canon  is  the  Tinaya  Fork ;  here 
we  have  the  Half  Dome,  a  majestic  inaccessible  crest  of 
concentric  granite,  four  thousand  seven  hundred  and  thirty- 
seven  feet  above  tho  valley,  with  a  vertical  face  where  the 
half  sphere  split  off  of  two  thousand  feet  in  height ;  the 
North  Dome,  a  rounded  mass,  three  thousand  five  hundred 
and  sixty-eight  feet,  and  easy  to  ascend  from  the  north. 
In  this  fork  is  the  exquisite  Tisayic  Lake,  on  which  the 
morning  reflections  are  so  beautifully  given. 

The  middle  cafion,  that  of  the  Merced  Eiver,  is  the  most 
important  one  of  the  thi*ee.  No  ravine  scenery  in  Europe 
equals  this  wild  and  extraordinary  gorge.  The  river, 
which  at  this  season  has  a  tremendous  body  of  water, 
descends  through  a  wild  ravine  of  two  miles,  nineteen  hun- 
dred and  eighty  feet.  The  path  winds  along  over  a  series 
of  wild  falls  and  rapids,  till  a  cloud  and  gale  of  mist  and 
wet  cover  it,  through  which  we  reach  a  dry  place  at  the 
foot  of  a  magnificent  fall,  four  hundred  and  seventy-five 
feet  high, — the  Vernal.  Then  ladders  are  ascended  up 
the  face  of  the  cliff,  and  we  rest  on  the  dry,  sunny  ledge 
over  the  boiling  and  whirling  cataract.  Still  another 
scramble  for  a  mile,  and  we  find  ourselves  blinded,  gasping, 
in  the  breath  of  the  furious  cataract  above.  We  are  all 
clad  in  India-rubber  coats  (furnished  by  a  guide),  and  drip 
with  water,  and  work  up,  inch  by  inch,  stooping,  as  against 
a  violent  current.  The  gale  takes  away  our  breaths,  and 
we  have  every  now  and  then  to  catch  a  breath ;  there  is 
nothing  visible  ahead  but  clouds  of  mist  and  driving  swirls 

I.—  V 


322  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Brace 

of  rain,  with  a  roar  filling  the  air,  which  prevents  all 
voices  from  being  heard.  We  are  helping  the  ladies  on 
with  the  utmost  difficulty,  but  at  last  all  reluctantly  give 
out  and  turn  back  ;  but  I  cannot  bear  to  give  up  the  view  ; 
and  after  groping  in  the  furious  storm  and  mist,  I  at  length 
find  a  side  path  through  the  chaparral,  and  soon  reach  a 
dry  ledge  beneath  the  superb  Nevada  Fall, — a  majestic 
sweep  of  thundering  water,  six  hundred  and  thirty-nine 
feet  in  height,  more  grand  than  any  waterfall  in  the  valley, 
because  of  the  volume  of  water.  There  is  a  peculiar  twist 
in  the  upper  portion  of  it,  which  adds  to  its  picturesque 
effect.  On  the  other  side  rises  a  most  remarkable  peak  of 
granite,  solitary  and  inaccessible, — Mount  Broderick,  some 
two  thousand  feet.  The  scene  as  I  stood  there  alone  be- 
neath this  sublime  sweep  of  waters,  and  amid  those  mighty 
mountain-cliffs,  can  never  be  forgotten. 

The  South  Fork  I  did  not  visit,  but  the  photographs  show 
that  it  possesses  scenery  as  romantic  as  the  other  branches 
of  the  carion.  It  is  interesting  to  notice  that  these  enor- 
mous waterfalls  in  the  Merced  Cafion  have  scarcely  an  in- 
dentation on  this  most  hard  rock, — a  fact  probably  indi- 
cating that  they  have  not  existed  a  great  length  of  time. 
The  comparative  absence  of  detritus  in  the  upper  part  of 
the  main  valley  would  seem  to  show  the  action  of  water 
and  ice,  pressing  the  debris  into  the  lower  portion  where 
more  of  it  is  found.  There  are,  too  (as  was  discovered  by 
Mr.  King),  something  which  may  be  called  lateral  mo- 
raines, and  perhaps  a  terminal  moraine  in  the  middle  of  the 
caflon,  so  that  it  seems  not  improbable,  though  there  is  no 
absolute  evidence,  that  in  a  comparatively  recent  period 
glaciers  existed  in  the  upper  part,  and  a  lake  in  the  body 
of  the  Yosemite  Cafion,  the  descent  of  the  whole  valley,  it 
must  be  remembered,  being  only  fifty  feet  during  some, 
eight  miles. 


Price]   A  SPORTSMAN'S  EXPERIENCE  IN  MEXICO.     323 


A  SPORTSMAN'S  EXPERIENCE  IN  MEXICO. 

SIR  ROSE   LAMBERT   PRICE. 

[Major  Price,  whose  hunting  adventures  seem  to  have  extended 
from  Terra  del  Fuego  to  the  northern  boundary  of  the  United  States, 
gives  us,  in  his  "Sport  and  Travel;  or,  The  Two  Americas,"  a  record 
full  of  incident  and  observation.  From  his  greatly  varied  hunting 
experience  we  select  a  description  of  the  pursuit  of  game  in  the  vicinity 
of  Acupulco,  Mexico,  which  is  of  interest  as  showing  the  conditions  of 
animal  and  vegetable  life  in  that  region.] 

The  day  after  our  arrival,  H and   myself,  getting 

mules  and  a  guide,  started  for  Pira  de  la  Questa,  a  small 
Indian  village  about  twelve  miles  from  Acupulco,  and  situ- 
ated near  the  extremity  of  a  large  lagoon,  some  thirty  miles 
in  circumference,  which  we  were  informed  was  full  of  wild 
fowl.  Over  many  a  rough  road  and  in  many  lands  have 
I  ridden,  but  never  did  I  travel  a  highway  like  unto  this. 
The  path  ran  over  the  mountains  through  a  thick  forest, 
and  more  resembled  the  bed  of  a  watercourse  than  an 
actually  connected  route.  Nothing  but  mules,  whose  cat- 
like propensities  enable  them  to  overcome  apparently  in- 
surmountable difficulties,  could  possibly  have  done  the  jour- 
ney. In  places  the  path  was  so  narrow  that  two  of  theso 
animals  were  unable  to  pass  abreast,  so  that  one  would  be 
obliged  to  go  back  into  a  convenient  corner,  or  scramble  up 
a  bank,  to  permit  the  other  to  go  by. 

The  forest  was  dense,  but,  as  it  was  just  prior  to  the  rains, 
almost  leafless,  everything  being  burned  and  parched  up 
except  in  the  valleys  and  bottoms  of  ravines,  where  run- 
ning water  rendered  the  vegetation  luxuriant  and  flourish- 
ing.    This  absence  of  foliage,  though  detracting  consider- 


324  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Price 

ably  from  the  beauty  of  the  forest,  permitted  us  to  view 
all  the  better  its  feathered  denizens,  and  in  few  tropical 
countries  have  I  seen  such  lovely  birds,  or  in  such  numbers 
as  out  here.  To  classify  or  name  them  would  require  a 
man  to  be  a  perambulating  encyclopaedia  of  natural  his- 
tory ;  but  among  them  all  I  was  most  struck  with  the  num- 
ber of  specimens  of  the  woodpecker  class,  several  of  which 
were  very  beautiful.  One  in  particular  with  a  blood  red 
topknot,  which  glittered  vividly  in  the  sun,  I  envied  much 
for  my  fishing-book,  and  regretted  the  guide  had  my  gun 
in  his  possession  nearly  a  mile  behind. 

As  the  sun  was  setting  we  entered  the  village,  which 
consisted  of  a  few  mud  huts  with  sideless  roofs,  and  halt- 
ing before  one  of  them,  was  informed  by  the  guide  that  it 
was  to  be  our  quarters  for  the  night.  It  was  simply  a  roof 
of  palm-leaves  over  a  mud  floor,  there  being  no  kind  of 
wall  or  even  screen,  and  it  formed  the  universal  dormitory 
of  men,  women,  and  children,  pigs  and  poultry,  at  the 
principal  hotel — the  Claridge's,  in  fact — of  Pira  la  Questa. 
Leaving  the  proprietress  and  her  numerous  progeny  en- 
gaged in  hunting  down  an  active-looking  fowl  for  our  even- 
ing repast,  we  rode  to  the  lagoon,  and  giving  the  guide  our 
mules  to  hold,  shot  a  few  of  the  curious-looking  aquatic 
birds,  which  he  pronounced  to  be  "  bueno,"  or  good  for  eat- 
ing, that  were  feeding  round  the  banks.  It  was  rapidly 
getting  dark,  and  seeing  at  a  distance  some  birds  that  I  took 
to  be  duck,  I  noiselessly  crept  down  on  them.  To  do  so  I 
had  to  pass  over  a  small  spot  of  white  sand,  concealed,  until 
I  was  on  it,  by  a  clump  of  bushes. 

While  still  silently  watching  the  birds  I  saw  something 
move  a  little  to  my  right,  and  on  turning  round  discovered 
a  huge  alligator,  whom  I  had  almost  cut  off  from  the  lake. 
The  bushes  had  hidden  us  until  absolutely  face  to  face,  and 
he  came  by  me  with  his  teeth  grinning  and  tail  half  cocked, 


Price]    A  SPORTSMAN'S  EXPERIENCE  IN  MEXICO.     325 

in  the  most  unamiable  frame  of  mind  I  ever  saw  in  one  of 
his  tribe.  Without  intending  it,  I  had  very  nearly  cut  him 
off  from  his  native  element;  and  though  naturally  a  cow- 
ardly brute,  feeling  himself  to  a  certain  degree  cornered, 
he  had  evidently  made  up  bis  mind  to  fight.  Not  being 
prepared,  with  only  small  shot  in  my  gun,  for  a  duel  with 
the  reptile,  I  stopped  short  and  gave  him  right  of  way, 
and,  as  he  cleared  me  at  about  two  yards,  let  him  have 
both  barrels  behind  the  shoulder  to  expedite  his  move- 
ments, and  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  him  give  a  jump 
into  the  water  that  would  have  done  credit  to  a  performer 
for  the  Grand  National. 

They  are  cowardly  brutes,  and  though  I  have  been  fre- 
quently in  parts  of  the  world  they  inhabit,  I  have  never 
yet  heard  of  an  instance  of  a  man  being  attacked  by  one 
on  land.  In  the  water  it  is  different.  A  boy  had,  while 
bathing,  been  taken  down  some  months  since  close  to  this 
very  spot,  and  from  what  I  saw  of  the  lagoon  next  morn- 
ing, I  would  not  have  ventured  a  swim  there  for  untold 
gold.  Had  I  been  a  little  quicker,  and  unintentionally 
barred  this  fellow's  way  to  the  lake,  I  am  quite  certain  he 
would  have  attacked  me,  as  he  must  have  passed  some- 
how. These  creatures  never  take  to  the  jungle,  and,  like 
a  rat  driven  into  a  corner,  he  would  have  been  obliged  to 
fight. 

On  returning  to  the  village  we  found  our  dinner  nearly 
ready  ;  bread  and  liquor  we  had  brought  with  us,  but  the 
hunted  fowl,  new-laid  eggs,  and  hot  tortillas  formed  no  bad 
meal  for  travellers  sharp  set  by  a  mountain  ride.  After 
feeding,  we  visited  some  of  the  principal  bouses  in  the  vil- 
lage, chaffed  some  of  the  good-humored  and  pretty  little 
Indian  girls,  and  arranged  about  a  canoe  for  the  follow- 
ing morning.  We  then  slung  our  grass  hammocks  among 
the  miscellaneous  company  and  wooed  the  drowsy  god  of 

28 


326  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Prick 

slumber,  our  guide  slinging  his  hammock  up  between  us, 
and  sleeping  with  his  machete  buckled  around  him,  ready 
for  attack  or  defence  at  a  moment's  notice. 

The  machete  is  the  invariable  companion  of  the  poorer 
and  middle  classes  of  Mexicans,  and  the  multiplicity  of  uses 
to  which  it  is  dedicated  are  something  wonderful  to  the  un- 
initiated. With  it  he  clears  the  tangled  paths  in  the  forest; 
it  helps  to  build  his  hut,  to  cut  his  firewood,  and  eat  his 
dinner;  he  uses  it  for  purposes  of  warfare,  and  too  fre- 
quentby  also  for  purposes  of  assassination.  The  blade  is 
broad,  slightly  curved,  a  little  shorter  than  an  infantry  offi- 
cer's regulation  sword,  and  about  twice  as  heavy.  The 
handle  is  generally  made  of  wood,  the  scabbard  leather, 
and  the  edge  invariably  as  keen  as  a  razor.  Occasionally 
the  blades  are  ornamented  with  gold  or  silver,  but  the  ordi- 
nary machete  is  perfectly  plain. 

Next  morning  we  were  up  before  daylight,  and  hastened 
to  the  banks  of  the  lagoon,  where  according  to  agreement 
we  should  have  found  our  canoe.  None  was  forthcoming, 
however,  and  not  until  the  sun  broke  fiercely  on  our  heads 
and  our  patience  was  completely  exhausted  did  our  guide 
prevail  on  the  man  who  was  to  have  provided  it  to  go  in 
search  of  another.  After  a  still  further  considerable  delay, 
at  last  he  arrived,  but  with  a  rickety  conveyance  that 

would  only  hold  one  gun  besides  the  paddler;  and  H 

taking  the  canoe,  I  walked  along  the  edge,  and  our  shoot- 
ing commenced. 

The  place  was  full  of  all  kinds  of  odd-looking  water- 
fowl. Geese,  duck,  teal,  pelicans,  flamingo,  and  spoonbills 
were  in  hundreds,  and  many  kinds  of  waders  unknown  to 
me  ;  in  fact,  such  an  extraordinary  variety  of  fresh- water 
birds  I  had  never  seen  together  before.  The  ducks  were 
particularly  handsome,  having  bright  bronze  breasts,  which 
shone  like  burnished  metal  in  the  sun.      Of  teal  I  shot 


Price]   A  SPORTSMAN'S  EXPERIENCE  IN  MEXICO.      327 

several  varieties,  many  of  them  with  exceedingly  beautiful 
and  brilliant  plumage ;  but  I  think  among  the  queer  ones  I 
killed  there  were  none  more  beautiful  in  plumage  than  the 
spoonbill;  for  though  his  singular  and  uncouth  beak  did 
not  improve  his  countenance,  he  had  the  most  lovely  and 
delicate  tinge  of  rose-color  through  his  white  feathers  it  is 
possible  to  conceive.  We  had  him  for  dinner  two  days 
afterwards,  and  found  him  excellent. 

Not  knowing  a  quarter  of  the  birds  that  got  up,  and 
many  being  fishy  and  unfit  for  food,  whenever  one  rose  the 
guide  would  cry  either  "Bueno"  or  "No  bueno,"  as  it  hap- 
pened to  be  fit  or  unfit  for  culinary  purposes ;  and  so  on  for 
nine  miles  along  the  banks,  sometimes  through  mud,  at 
others  through  sand,  and  at  others  through  jungle  or  water, 
did  I  plod  along,  taking  whatever  was  termed  "  bueno," 
and  occasionally  peppering  an  obtrusive  alligator  when  he 
came  anything  inside  twelve  yards. 

The  heat  was  intense,  and,  to  add  to  the  discomfort  of 
walking,  the  paths  through  the  jungle  and  mangrove 
swamps  occasionally  bordered  the  edges  of  the  lake,  and 
were  so  thickly  crossed  by  cobwebs  that  they  were  per- 
petually knocking  off  my  hat,  getting  in  my  mouth  and 
eyes,  and  at  times  almost  impeded  my  progress.  I  never 
saw  anything  like  them.  Occasionally  large  forest-trees 
were  entirely  covered  from  top  to  bottom,  and  so  thickly 
shrouded  that  not  a  leaf  or  twig  could  be  seen  through 
its  unnatural-looking  winding-sheet.  The  lagoon  seemed 
full  of  fish,  which  were  jumping  in  shoals  all  over  it ;  but  not 
once  during  the  day  did  we  see  a  single  bird  settle  on  its 
surface;  and  from  the  number  of  alligators  swimming 
about,  I  think  they  showed  their  wisdom. 

It  was  capital  sport,  but  precious  hard  work  also,  and  I 
was  just  about  "played  out,"  when  we  reached  a  "ranche," 
where,  after  a  pull  of  cold  water  that  must  have  somewhat 


328  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Prick 

alarmed  my  constitution,  I  tumbled  into  a  grass  hammock, 
uncommonly  glad  to  get  out  of  the  burning  sun. 

A  pleasant-featured  young  Mexican  woman,  with  a  dark- 
eyed,  good-looking  sister,  soon  despatched  between  them 
one  of  the  many  chickens  running  about  the  house ;  and 
while  the  cazuela  was  preparing  they  very  good-naturedly 
washed  out  my  shirt,  lending  me,  ad  interim,  some  embroid- 
ered garment  of  their  own.  The  rest  of  my  clothes  were 
hung  up  to  dry,  every  stitch  on  me  being  thoroughly  satu- 
rated.    H and  the  canoe  soon  after  arrived,  and  how 

we  did  enjoy  the  homely  but  excellent  fare  our  hostess  put 
before  us !     Then  came  pipes  and  a  siesta,  and  a  couple 

hours'  rest  saw  us  fit  to  return.    Ii had  got  enough  of 

it,  and,  borrowing  a  horse,  rode  back  to  the  village.  I  re- 
turned in  the  canoe,  and  got  a  good  many  shots  en  route. 
Our  bag  was  a  mixed  one,  and  consisted  of  the  birds  I 
have  already  mentioned,  with  several  others  whose  names 
we  did  not  know,  and  four  rabbits.  Wild  duck  and  teal 
predominated,  and  the  guides  could  hardly  stagger  from 
the  canoe  to  the  houses  with  our  united  bag. 

The  sun  was  fast  setting  as  we  left  Pira  la  Questa  on  our 
return  journey,  and  ere  we  reached  the  mountain-top  it 
was  quite  dark.  Unable  to  see  a  yard  before  us,  but 
knowing  we  must  go  on,  I  threw  the  reins  on  my  mule's 
neck,  and,  lighting  a  pipe,  resigned  myself  implicitly  to  his 
sagacity,  not  only  to  find  the  path,  but  to  avoid  the  ob- 
stacles which  at  every  step  lay  before  him.  My  confidence 
was  not  misplaced.  With  nose  almost  touching  the  ground, 
he  seemed  to  smell  his  way  along,  and  not  once  during  our 
long  ride  did  he  deviate  for  a  second  from  the  proper  track, 
or  make  a  single  false  step  or  stumble.  The  sounds  and 
strange  cries  during  the  dark  stillness  of  the  night  were 
very  remarkable.  Whether  caused  by  bird  or  insect  I 
could  not  tell ;  but  one  in  particular,  resembling  the  pro- 


Price]   A  SPORTSMAN'S  EXPERIENCE  IN  MEXICO.     329 

longed  whistle  of  a  locomotive  steam-engine,  was  frequently 
of  more  than  a  minute's  duration  without  ceasing,  and  of 
such  volume  and  intensity  that  unless  I  had  been  aware 
of  the  utter  impossibility  of  a  train  being  within  hundreds 
of  miles,  I  would  have  almost  sworn  to  so  familiar  a  sound. 
The  lights  of  Acupulco  at  last  came  in  sight,  and  our  ani- 
mals soon  after  deposited  us  safely,  after  a  somewhat  trying 
but  very  agreeable  trip.  .  .  . 

On  the  10th  of  May  we  left  Acupulco  and  steamed 
quietly  along  the  Mexican  coast  in  sight  of  land  until  we 
reached  Manzinilla  Bay,  on  the  southeast  part  of  which 
are  situated  the  few  wretched  huts  that  constitute  the 
village.  The  harbor  is  well  protected  from  southerly 
winds,  but  not  from  those  directly  from  the  westward. 
Behind  the  village,  and  only  a  few  hundred  yards  from  the 
sea-beach,  is  a  large  shallow  lagoon  which  runs  nearly 
forty  miles  into  the  interior,  and  at  the  end  of  the  dry 
season  becomes  almost  empty.  The  exhalations  at  this 
time  rising  from  the  mud  and  stagnant  water  are  most 
dreadful,  and  even  at  our  anchorage  the  stench  during  the 
night  was  almost  unbearable.  .  .  . 

Next  morning,  before  daylight,  we  started  with  Mr.  D 

across  the  lagoon  to  a  place  about  an  hour's  row  from  the 
village,  where  he  said  he  was  in  tho  habit  of  getting  wild 
duck.  The  lake  was  so  shallow  that  our  boat  often 
grounded,  and  the  oars  at  each  stroke  disturbed  the  black, 
ink-like  mud  that  constituted  the  bottom.  The  sides  were 
beautifully  wooded,  and  surrounded  by  ranges  of  hills  ex- 
tending far  into  the  interior,  the  edges  of  the  water  being 
fringed  with  a  belt  of  mangrove-trees,  whose  peculiarly 
bright  green  foliage  contrasted  pleasingly  with  the  sombre 
coloring  of  the  leafless  trees  behind  them.  The  perfectly 
stagnant  water  was  of  a  light-yellow  tint,  and  as  full  of 
alligators  as  it  could  well  bo.  .  .  . 

28* 


330  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Prick 

After  firing  a  good  many  shots,  and  gathering  a  some- 
what miscellaneous  bag,  Mr.  D saw  a  large  alligator 

asleep  on  some  mud,  lying  half  in  and  half  out  of  the 
water ;  and  as  I  was  the  only  one  of  the  party  who  had 
brought  any  bullets,  he  sent  one  of  the  guides  to  show  me 
where  it  lay,  in  hope  that  I  might  get  a  shot. 

Slowly,  and  with  the  greatest  caution,  I  waded  through 
water  until  I  got  within  twelve  yards  of  where  the  brute 
lay,  and  aiming  about  an  inch  behind  the  eye,  drove  a 
bullet  clean  into  his  brain.  He  gave  a  convulsive  kind  of 
shudder  and  lash  with  his  tail,  and  was,  I  believe,  dead ; 
but  to  make  certain  I  gave  him  the  second  barrel  at  about 
four  yards'  distance  behind  the  shoulder,  and  then  felt 
quite  confident  that  I  had  indeed  "wound  him  up." 

It  was  some  time  before  we  could  induce  the  natives  to 
assist  in  pulling  him  on  dry  land.  Though  they  do  not 
mind  them  living  and  swimming  about,  they  are  particu- 
larly careful  of  a  wounded  one,  a  single  sweep  of  its  pow- 
erful tail,  even  when  mortally  stricken,  being  known  to 
break  both  legs  of  a  man  like  a  pipe-stem.  Though  dead 
enough  to  all  intents  and  purposes,  an  alligator,  like  either 
a  shark  or  a  turtle,  will  continue  possessed  of  a  certain 
amount  of  vitality  and  motion  for  a  long  period  after  life  is 
really  extinct.  This  fellow  was  still  gently  swaying  his  tail 
about  while  we  bent  on  a  rope  to  it,  and,  all  five  of  us  clap- 
ping on,  soon  hauled  him  to  the  dry  mud  on  the  bank, 
where  we  took  his  length,  opened  his  jaws,  and  generally 
examined  the  formidable-looking  reptile  at  our  leisure.  He 
was  about  fifteen  feet  long  and  inconceivably  hideous.  The 
first  bullet  had  smashed  a  large  hole  exactly  where  I  aimed, 
— namely,  about  one  inch  behind  the  eye  ;  the  skull  seemed 
comparatively  thin  there,  was  unprotected  by  any  thick 
skin,  and  a  large  lump  of  his  brain  was  oozing  through  the 
wound.     The  second  bullet  went  through  his  heart ;  but  I 


Price]   A  SPORTSMAN'S  EXPERIENCE  IN  MEXICO.     331 

am  convinced  that  it  was  unnecessary,  as  the  first  shot  had 
done  all  that  was  needful. 

Much  as  the  people  have  written  to  the  contrary,  I  am 
quite  satisfied  now  that  an  alligator  is  as  easily  slain  as  a 
rabbit,  if  only  hit  in  the  right  place ;  and  that  place  is  not 
in  the  eye,  as  is  generally  stated,  but  on  the  same  level, 
and  from  an  inch  to  an  inch  and  a  half  behind  it.  The 
brain  in  all  reptiles  lies  rather  far  back  in  the  head,  joining 
almost  to  the  neck.  By  striking  one  in  the  eye  from  many 
positions  it  is  quite  possible  that  the  brain  may  not  be 
touched  at  all;  while,  if  the  ball  hits  the  slighest  degree  in 
front  of  it,  on  the  creature's  long  ugly  snout,  the  bullet 
might  as  well  be  chucked  in  the  river  for  all  the  harm  it 
will  do  the  alligator.  Unsightly  as  these  gentry  are,  the 
Indians  occasionally  eat  them.  The  skins  are  sometimes 
tanned ;  but  they  smell  so  strong,  it  is  an  awkward  job  to 
handle  them.  During  dry  seasons  they  collect  in  vast 
quantities  in  the  small  pools  still  left  unevaporated,  and  are 
then  killed  in  large  numbers  for  their  hides,  which  when 
tanned  are  found  serviceable  for  many  purposes.  They 
are  tougher  than  ordinary  leather,  and  resist  water  better. 
Only  the  belly  pieces  are  used. 

Some  few  years  ago  during  a  very  heavy  rain,  a  number 
of  alligators  got  taken  out  of  the  lake  by  a  small  river 
running  into  the  sea,  which  was  greatly  flooded.  They 
were  immediately  attacked  by  the  sharks,  and  a  strange 
battle  ensued  between  these  equally  voracious  monsters, 
which  all  the  people  of  the  village  flocked  out  to  witness. 
The  battle  lasted  all  day,  and  the  noise  of  the  combat 
could  be  heard  half  a  mile  off.  John  Shark  was,  however, 
more  at  home  in  his  native  element  than  his  scaly  antago- 
nist, and  eventually  the  alligators  were  all  eaten  up  or 
killed. 


332  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Oswald 


THE  SCENERY  OF  THE  MEXICAN  LOWLANDS. 

FELIX   L.  OSWALD. 

[Mexico  is  made  up  of  two  distinctively  different  regions;  one,  the 
central  plateau,  temperate  in  climate,  and  marked  by  a  great  dearth  of 
rainfall ;  the  other,  the  lowland  areas  between  the  plateau  and  the 
bordering  oceans,  tropical  in  climate  and  productions,  and  luxuriant 
from  abundant  rains.  Dr.  Oswald,  in  the  following  selection,  leads  us 
through  the  Valley  of  Oaxaca,  a  section  of  this  Tierra  Caliente,  or 
warm  country,  and  makes  us  familiar  with  its  interesting  vegetable 
and  animal  productions  and  its  scenic  features.] 

We  had  a  glimpse  of  the  sun  before  we  finished  our 
short  breakfast,  and  when  we  plunged  into  the  maze  of  the 
forest  the  occasional  vistas  through  the  leafy  vault  revealed 
larger  and  larger  patches  of  bright  blue  sky.  Our  so- 
called  road,  however,  was  worse  than  anything  I  had  ever 
seen  or  heard  of  Flemish  or  South  Louisiana  synonymes 
of  that  word, — miry  lagoons  and  spongy  mud  as  black  and 
as  sticky  as  pitch.  I  followed  at  the  heels  of  my  carrier, 
who  preferred  the  lagoons  and  seemed  to  find  the  shallow 
places  by  a  sort  of  instinct,  and  the  Switzer  managed  to 
propel  his  heavy  boots  through  the  toughest  quagmire ;  but 
his  boy,  after  losing  his  shoes  five  or  six  times,  slung  them 
across  his  shoulder  and  splashed  on  barefoot.  We  kept 
through  a  comparatively  open  forest  of  cottonwood-  and 
tulip-trees,  with  a  dense  jungle  on  our  right-hand  side, 
while  on  our  left  the  land  sloped  towards  the  bottom  of  the 
Rio  Verde,  which  is  here  about  five  hundred  paces  wide, 
and  during  the  rainy  season  fills  its  muddy  banks  to  the 
brink.  These  lower  coast  forests  abound  in  gigantic  trees, 
whose  fruits  are  only  accessible  to  the  winged  and  four- 
handed  denizens  of  the  forest,  but  farther  up  the  river- 


Oswald]  SCENERY  OF  THE  MEXICAN  LOWLANDS.     333 

shores  are  lined  for  miles  with  a  dense  growth  of  wild- 
growing  plantains,  of  which  the  natives  distinguish  four 
varieties  under  as  many  different  names.  The  fruit  of  the 
largest,  the  cuernavacas  ("  cow-horns"),  attains  a  weight  of 
seven  pounds,  and  resembles  in  shape  the  crooked  pod  of 
the  tamarind  rather  than  the  cucumber-shaped  little  ba- 
nanas which  reach  our  Northern  markets.  They  ripen 
very  slowly,  and  often  rot  on  the  tree  before  they  become 
eatable,  but  the  Mexicans  cure  them  over  a  slow  fire  of 
embers  and  green  brushwood,  after  which  their  taste  can 
hardly  be  distinguished  from  that  of  the  finest  yellow 
bananas.  Palm-trees  mingle  here  with  the  massive  stems 
of  the  cottonwoods,  talipot-palms,  and  the  Palma  prieta, 
whose  nut  might  become  a  profitable  article  of  export, 
having  a  close  resemblance  to  a  filbert.  The  plum-clusters 
of  the  mango  can  onl}*  be  reached  by  a  bold  climber,  as  the 
trunk  rises  like  a  mast,  often  perfectly  free  from  branches 
for  eighty  or  ninety  feet,  and  the  chief  beneficiaries  of  this 
region  are  still  the  macaws  and  squirrel-monkeys;  but 
farther  up  Pomona  becomes  more  condescending,  and  the 
ancient  G}rmno8ophists,  whose  religion  restricted  true 
believers  to  a  diet  of  wild-growing  tree-fruits,  would  have 
found  their  fittest  home  in  the  terrace-land  between  the 
lower  twenty  miles  of  the  Rio  Verde  and  the  foot-hills  of 
the  Sierra  de  San  Miguel. 

Plum-bearing  bushes  abound  from  June  to  September 
with  red,  yellow,  and  wax-colored  fruit ;  the  morus,  or  wild 
mulberry -tree,  literally  covers  the  ground  with  its  dark, 
honey-sweet  berries ;  the  crown  of  the  pino-palm  is  loaded 
with  grape-like  clusters,  which,  struck  b}r  a  cudgel,  dis- 
charge a  shower  of  rich  acorn-shaped  nuts ;  guavas,  alli- 
gator-pears, mamayos,  chirimoyas,  and  wild  oranges  dis- 
play flowers  and  fruit  at  the  same  time,  and  under  the 
alternate   influence  of  heat  and   moisture   produce   their 


334  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Oswald 

perennial   crops  with  unfailing  regularity;    the  algarobe 
{Mimosa  siliqua),  a  species  of  mezquite  not  larger  than  an 
apple-tree,  yields  half  a  ton  of  the  edible  pods  known  as 
carob-beans  or  St.  John's  bread ;  the  figs  of  the  gigantic 
banyan-tree  furnish  an  aromatic  syrup ;  the  trunks  of  the 
Bobinia  viridis  exude  an  edible  gum  ;  and  from  the  vine- 
tangle  forming  the  vault  of  the  forest  hang  the  bunches 
and  clusters  of  forty  or  fifty  varieties  of  wild  grapes,  many 
of  them  superior  to  our  scuppernongs  and  catawbas,  while 
the  amber-colored  Uva  real  rivals  the  flavor  of  the  finest 
Damascene  raisin-grapes.      A  forced  march  of  ten  hours 
through  fens  and  silent  virgin  woods  brought  us  at  last 
to  the  hummock  region  ;  the  plain  swelled  into  mounds, 
and  the  currents  of  the  sluggish  ba}'ous  became  more  per- 
ceptible.    The  higher  levels  showed  vestiges  of  cultivation ; 
we  crossed  dykes  and  ditches,  a  neglected  fence  here  and 
there,  and  where  the  larger  trees  had  been  felled  grapes 
and  liana  figs  covered  even  the  bushes  and  hedges  in  in- 
credible profusion.     A  troop  of  capuchin  monkeys  leaped 
from  a  low  mango-tree,  and  two  stumbling  youngsters  who 
brought  up  the  rear  in  the  scramble  for  the  high  timber 
would   have   tempted   us  to  a  chase  if  we  had  not  been 
anxious  to  reach  less  malarious  quarters  before  night.    The 
neighborhood  of  the  great  swamps  still  betrayed  itself  by 
that  peculiar  miasmatic  odor  which  emanates  from  stag- 
nant pools   and  decaying  vegetable   matter,   and  in   the 
recesses  of  the  forest  fluttered  the  slate-colored  swamp- 
moth,  the  ominous  harbinger  of  the  mosquito.     The  tipu- 
lary  pests  were  getting  ready  for  action  ;  their  skirmishers, 
the  sancudos  and  moscas  negras,  had  already  opened  the 
campaign,  and  became  sensible  as  well  as  audible  in  spite 
of  the  rapidity  of  our  march.     One  of  the  twilight  species, 
the  Mosca  delgada,  a  straw-colored  little  midge,  bites  like 
a  fire-ant, — a  mischievous  and,  it  seems,  unpractical  freak 


Oswald]  SCENERY  OF  THE  MEXICAN  LOWLANDS.     335 

of  nature,  since  the  superfluous  virulence  of  its  sting  must 
certainly  interfere  with  the  business  facilities  of  a  sucto- 
rial insect. 

[As  evening  descended  the  travellers  reached  a  cotton  plantation, 
and  hastened  to  take  refuge  from  the  rising  cloud  of  mosquitoes.] 

The  cotton-gin  loomed  at  the  farther  end  of  the  field, 
and  was  taken  by  storm  over  piles  of  muck  and  scattered 
fence  rails.  Seeing  no  ladder,  we  clambered  through  the 
pivot-hole  in  the  ceiling  of  a  musty-smelling  machine-shed, 
but  in  the  open  loft  above  we  found  a  delicious  breeze,  and 
— St.  Hubert  be  praised! — not  a  single  mosquito. 

The  carrier  threw  himself  upon  his  pack  with  a  sigh  of 
relief,  and  we  squatted  around  the  hatch  to  cool  off  before 
we  opened  our  mess-bag. 

From  the  hills  on  our  right  came  the  perfume  of  bloom- 
ing tamarisks,  and  from  the  jungle  below  a  cool  lake-air ; 
and  at  times  strange  voices  of  the  wilderness, — the  hoarse 
bark  of  a  cayman,  answered  by  the  shriek  of  swamp-geeso 
in  the  canebrakes  of  the  Eio  Verde,  and  in  the  distance 
now  and  then  a  queer  rustling  sound,  like  the  shaking  of  a 
tree  butted  by  some  heavy  animal.  Bats  were  circling 
above  our  heads  in  the  moonlight,  and  our  advent  seemed 
to  have  excited  the  curiosity  of  a  troop  of  flying-squirrels, 
who  uttered  their  chirping  squeak  now  on  the  roof,  now  in 
the  branches  of  a  neighboring  live-oak-tree. 

After  removing  a  layer  of  seed-cotton  that  might  harbor 
scorpions  or  centipedes,  I  spread  my  blanket  near  the 
hatch  and  made  myself  comfortable  for  the  night.  My 
feet  still  smarted,  though  I  had  pulled  off  my  stockings  as 
well  as  my  boots ;  yet  I  could  not  regret  the  hardships  of 
a  march  which  had  brought  us  to  such  an  encampment. 
The  portador  was  taking  his  ease  in  the  centre  of  the  floor, 
where  the  night-wind  played  with  his  long  hair,  while  the 


336  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Oswald 

Swiss  boy  had  fallen  asleep  on  the  mantle  of  his  country- 
man, who  was  sitting  in  the  open  louvre,  smoking  his  pipe 
in  measureless  content.  The  air  up  here  was  delightfully 
cool,  and,  with  the  buzz  of  the  legions  of  Beelzebub  still 
ringing  in  our  ears,  the  sense  of  security  itself  was  more 
than  a  negative  comfort. 

Baron  Savarin,  who  wrote  a  treatise  on  the  art  of  en- 
joying life,  should  have  added  a  chapter  on  the  happiness 
of  contrast.  A  snug  little  cottage  in  a  stormy  November 
night,  a  shade-tree  on  the  Llano  Estacado,  the  silence  of 
the  Upper  Alleghanies  after  a  "revival-meeting"  in  the 
valleys,  a  bath  in  the  dog-days,  would  rank  above  all  the 
luxuries  of  Paris  and  Stamboul,  if  unbought  enjoyments 
could  ever  become  fashionable. 

The  moon  set  soon  after  midnight,  but  we  managed  to 
readjust  our  luggage  by  the  light  of  greased  paper  spills, 
and  entered  the  gates  of  the  foot-hills  before  the  watch- 
call  of  the  night-hawk  had  been  silenced  by  the  reveille  of 
the  iris-crows.  A  keen  land-breeze,  tumbling  the  mists 
through  the  fens  of  the  Tierra  Caliente,  gave  promise  of 
a  bright  day.  What  wonderful  perfumes  the  morning 
wind  brews  from  the  atmosphere  of  u  moist  tropical  forest- 
land! — scents  that  haunt  the  memory  more  persistently 
than  the  echo  of  a  weird  song.  No  latter-day  nose  could 
analyze  these  odors  and  trace  them  to  their  several  sources; 
but  with  or  without  an  attempt  at  further  classification, 
they  might  be  primarily  divided  into  sweet  and  pungent 
aromatic  smells,  the  latter  prevailing  in  the  coast  jungles, 
the  former  in  the  mountain  forests.  A  few  of  the  first 
named — the  spicy  scents — are  so  peculiar  that,  once  identi- 
fied, they  can  be  easily  recognized :  here,  for  instance,  the 
effluvium  of  the  musk  lianas,  whose  flowers  diffuse  a  sort 
of  odorous  diapason  which  predominates,  even  through  the 
bouquet-medley  of  the  South  Mexican  flora. 


Oswald]   SCENERY  OF  THE  MEXICAN  LOWLANDS.     337 

As  the  white  streaks  in  the  east  assumed  a  yellowish 
tint,  the  paroquets  in  the  crests  of  the  pino-palms  saluted 
the  morning  with  sudden  screams;  the  multitudinous  voices 
of  a  crow-swarm  approached  from  the  coast  forests ;  two 
and  two,  and  in  a  series  of  pairs,  the  macaws  came  flying 
across  the  sky ;  and  in  our  near  neighborhood  the  startling 
cry  of  the  chachalaca  or  jungle-pheasant  went  up  from  an 
hibiscus  thicket.  Softly  first,  then  louder  and  louder,  the 
calanda,  the  mocking-bird  of  the  tropics,  intonated  its 
morning  hymn,  and  the  fluting  curlew  rose  from  the  grass 
like  a  skylark ;  but  a  sweeter  sound  to  our  ears  was  the 
murmuring  of  a  little  brook  at  the  roadside.  "We  had 
reached  the  region  of  rocks  and  swift-flowing  waters. 

Of  reptiles,  as  of  Red  Eepublicans,  it  may  be  said  that 
they  are  least  dreaded  in  the  countries  where  they  most 
abound.  While  a  New  England  boarding-school  virgin 
goes  into  epileptic  spasms  at  the  aspect  of  a  blindvvorm, 
the  young  Mexicanas  surround  themselves  with  a  variety 
of  ophidian  pets,  and  view  a  freckled  tree-snake  and  a  gay 
butterfly  with  equal  pleasure  or  equal  unconcern.  A  little 
barefoot  girl  that  met  us  on  her  way  to  the  spring  put  her 
toes  caressingly  on  the  smooth  hide  of  a  green-and-white 
speckled  Vivora  mansa  that  wriggled  across  the  road ;  and 
our  barelegged  portador  kicked  dozens  of  good-sized  bush- 
snakes  out  of  our  path  after  noticing  that  they  frightened 
our  young  travelling  companion.  More  than  ninety  per 
cent,  of  all  South  American  snakes  are  as  harmless  as  liz- 
ards, and  the  four  or  five  venomous  varieties  are  well 
known  and  easily  avoided. 

I  will  here  add  a  word  on  the  dreaded  venomous  insects 
of  the  tropics.  The  ant  and  mosquito  plagues  of  the  coast 
jungles  can  hardly  be  over  estimated,  but  the  virulence  of 
their  larger  congeners  is  frequently  and  grossly  exagger- 
ated. The  chief  insect-ogres  of  sensation  romancers  and 
i.— p       w  29 


338  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Oswald 

fireside  travellers  are  three :  the  scorpion,  the  tarantula, 
and  the  centipede,  either  of  whom  can  rival  the  homicidal 
prestige  of  Victor  Hugo's  octopus.  But  I  may  confidently 
appeal  to  the  verdict  of  any  personal  observer  who  has 
passed  a  few  years  in  the  African  or  American  tropics 
when  I  assert  that  these  supposed  express-messengers  of 
Death  are  not  more  venomous  and  are  far  less  aggressive 
than  our  common  North  American  hornet.  I  doubt  if  the 
sting  of  twenty  tarantulas  could  cause  the  death  of  a 
healthy  child,  and  I  am  quite  sure  that  a  poison-ivy  blister 
and  the  bite  of  a  fire-ant  are  more  painful  than  the  sting 
of  a  centipede.  An  hysterical  lady  may  succumb  to  the 
bite  of  a  common  gadfly,  but  I  hold  that  only  co-opera- 
tive insects — termites,  wasps,  humble-bees,  etc. — could  ever 
make  away  with  a  normally  constituted  human  being. 

A  swarm  of  vociferous  iris-crows  appeared  in  the  sky 
overhead,  and  before  they  had  passed,  the  woods  were  wide 
awake  all  around.  The  humming-birds  were  on  the  wing, 
the  wood-pigeons  repeated  their  murmuring  call  in  the 
taxus-groves,  and  from  the  lower  depths  of  the  forest  came 
the  chattering  scream  of  a  squirrel- monkey.  The  rising 
sun  was  hidden  by  the  tree-tops  of  the  eastern  valleys 
when  we  halted  on  the  summit  of  a  rocky  bluff,  but  the 
mountain  mists  had  disappeared,  and  the  vistas  on  our  left 
afforded  a  dazzling  view  of  the  sunlit  foot-hills  and  the 
valley  of  the  Rio  Verde.  The  river  is  here  crossed  by  a 
rope-ferry  a  little  above  its  junction  with  a  tributary  that 
drains  the  glorious  valley  of  Morillo  and  an  Alpine  group 
whose  wooded  heights  stands  in  my  memory  like  a  vision 
of  a  Ganadesha,  the  mountain  park  of  Indra's  Paradise. 

The  air  of  these  woodlands  is  the  antithesis  of  our 
Northern  workshop  atmosphere.  There  is  a  feeling  of 
delight — our  lost  sixth  sense,  I  am  tempted  to  call  it — 
which  gratifies  the  lungs  rather  than  the  olfactory  organ 


Oswald]  SCENERF  OF  THE  MEXICAN  LOWLANDS.     339 

if  you  inhale  the  morning  breezes,  oxidated,  and  perhaps 
ozonized,  by  the  first  influence  of  sunlight  on  the  aromatic 
vegetation  of  these  hills, — a  delight  which,  like  the  charm 
of  harmonious  sounds,  reacts  on  the  soul,  and  awakens 
emotions  which  have  lain  dormant  in  the  human  breast 
since  we  exchanged  the  air  of  our  Summer-land  home  for 
the  dust  of  our  hyperborean  tenement-prisons. 

The  hum  of  insects  soon  mingled  with  the  bird-voices  of 
our  forest.  To  and  fro,  in  fitful  flight,  flashed  the  libellas, 
the  glitter-winged  dragon-flies,  and  a  few  large  papilios 
flopped  lazily  through  the  dew-drenched  foliage.  No  gnats 
up  here,  but  thousands  of  tiny,  honey-seeking  wasps  and 
midges,  and  bright-winged  grasshoppers  that  rose  with  a 
fluttering  spring  when  the  first  sunbeams  reached  the 
damp  underbrush.  Ants  hurried  about  their  daity  toil,  and 
when  we  ascended  the  next  ridge  we  saw  various  kinds  of 
lizards  flitting  across  the  road  or  basking  on  the  wayside 
rocks,  one  of  them  a  sort  of  dwarf  iguana  of  a  moss-green 
tint,  on  which  protective  color  it  seemed  to  rely  for  its 
safety,  as  its  movements  were  as  sluggish  as  those  of  a 
toad. 

As  we  kept  steadily  up-hill,  the  sun  seemed  to  mount  very 
rapidly,  and,  peak  after  peak,  the  summits  of  the  upper 
Sierra  rose  into  view.  Zempantepec,  La  Sirena,  and  the 
Nevada  de  Colcoyan  towered  above  the  rest,  the  latter  at 
least  four  thousand  feet  above  the  snow-lino.  Few  pros- 
pects on  earth  could  efface  the  impression  of  that  panorama. 
In  the  Sierra  de  San  Miguel  our  continent  reproduces  the 
Syrian  Lebanon  on  a  grander  scale.  Septimus  Severus, 
who  vacillated  between  his  throne  and  the  Elvsian  valle}Ts 
of  Daphne,  would  have  renounced  the  empire  of  the  world 
for  the  mountain-gardens  of  the  Val  do  Morillo.  and  the 
giants  of  the  cypress  forests  on  the  southeastern  slope  of 
the  Sierra  dwarf  all  the  cedars  of  Bashan  and  Hebron. 


340  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Oswald 

The  largest,  though  not  the  tallest,  of  these  trees,  the 
cypress  of  Maria  del  Tule  (twelve  miles  south  of  San 
Miguel),  which  Humboldt  calls  the  "oldest  vegetable 
monument  of  our  globe,"  has  a  diameter  of  forty-two  feet, 
a  circumference  of  one  hundred  and  thirty-six  feet  near 
the  ground  and  of  one  hundred  and  four  feet  higher  up, 
and  measures  two  hundred  and  eighty-two  feet  between 
the  extremities  of  two  opposite  branches.  Yet  this  tree 
has  many  rivals  in  the  Val  de  Morillo  and  near  the  sources 
of  the  Rio  Verde,  where  groups  of  grayish-green  mountain- 
firs  rise  like  hillocks  above  the  surrounding  vegetation. 

On  our  right  extended  the  orange-gardens  of  Casa 
Blanca  for  two  miles  along  the  base  of  the  hill  to  a  deep 
ravine,  reappearing  on  the  other  side,  where  their  white- 
blooming  tree-tops  mingled  with  the  copses  of  a  banana- 
plantation.  Farther  up,  euphorbias  and  hibiscus  prevailed, 
and  the  upper  limit  of  the  foot-hills  is  marked  by  the  paler 
green  of  the  cork-oak  forests  that  cover  the  slopes  of  the 
sierra  proper.  In  the  northeast  this  sierra  becomes  linked 
with  the  ramifications  of  the  central  Cordilleras,  and  con- 
nected with  our  ridge  by  one  of  the  densely-wooded  spurs 
that  flank  the  plateau  of  the  Llanos  Ventosos.  The  rocks 
at  our  feet  belonged,  therefore,  to  a  mountain-chain  that 
might  be  called  a  lineal  continuation  of  the  Gila  range  in 
Arizona  and  Nueva  Leon.  But  what  a  difference  in  the 
climate  and  scenery !  There  arid  rocks  and  thorny  ravines ; 
hero  dense  mountain  forests,  deep  rivers,  a  saturated  at- 
mosphere, and  springs  on  almost  every  acre  of  ground. 
The  very  brambles  in  the  rock-clefts  were  fresh  with  dew, 
and  the  sprouts  of  the  broom-furze  looked  like  wildering 
asparagus.  The  ravines  flamed  with  flowers  of  every  size 
und  every  hue.  An  agent  of  a  London  or  Hamburg 
curiosity-dealer  might  make  his  living  here  with  a  common 
butterfly- net.    On  any  sunny  forenoon  an  active  boy  could 


Oswald]  SCENERY  OF  THE  MEXICAN  LO  WLANDS.     341 

gather  a  stock  of  Lepidoptera  that  would  create  a  bonanza 
sensation  among  the  collectors  of  a  North  European  capital. 
The  rhododendron  thickets  of  the  upper  Eio  Verde  are 
frequented  by  gigantic  varieties  of  nymphalis,  vanessa,  and 
parnassius,  which  would  retail  in  Brussels  at  from  two  to 
ten  dollars  apiece. 

The  sun  rose  higher,  but  not  the  thermometer,  and  when 
we  clambered  up  through  an  orchard  of  scattered  cherry- 
trees  I  am  sure  that  the  maximum  temperature  in  the 
shade  did  not  exceed  sixty-five  degrees  Fahrenheit.  We 
had  reached  the  Llanos  Ventosos,  the  air-plains  of  San 
Miguel,  the  playground  of  the  four  winds  of  heaven, 
where  sun-strokes  are  unknown,  though  the  mists  of  the 
rainy  season  never  cloud  their  deep-blue  sky.  Down  in 
the  coast  jungles  the  Rain-fiend  was  at  it  again  :  dark-gray 
showers  swept  visibly  along  the  shore,  while  the  foot-hills 
simmered  under  the  rays  of  a  vertical  sun.  But  up  here 
the  air  was  dry  as  well  as  cool ;  the  edge  of  the  plateau  is 
at  least  six  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  Pacific, 
which  is  in  plain  view  from  Punta  Fiedra  to  the  downs  of 
Tehuantepec. 

We  entered  the  village  about  two  p.m.,  and  my  compan- 
ions conducted  me  to  a  little  frame  house,  where  I  was 
hospitably  received  by  the  Indian  gardener  and  the  daugh- 
ters of  Pastor  Wenck,  the  minister  of  the  Protestant  part 
of  the  community,  whose  brother  in  Tehuantepec  had  in- 
trusted me  with  different  letters,  with  a  note  of  introduc- 
tion. The  pastor  had  harnessed  his  mule  an  hour  ago  to 
get  a  load  of  Spanish  moss  from  the  foot-hills,  so  I  left  my 
carrier  in  charge  of  the  Indian  gardener  and  sauntered  out 
into  the  village. 

Neubern  (New  Bern)  de  San  Miguel — or  Villa  Cres- 
ciente,  as  it  was  originally  called,  from  its  situation  on 
a  crescent-shaped  bluff — was  founded   in  18G5  undor  the 

29* 


342  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Oswald 

happiest  auspices,  the  charter  of  the  colony  including  such 
inducements  as  exemption  from  taxes  for  the  first  five 
years,  free  roads  and  schools,  gratuitous  seed-corn,  farming 
implements,  etc.,  to  indigent  immigrants,  and  attracted 
a  considerable  number  of  the  very  best  agriculturists  from 
Tyrol  and  Southern  Switzerland.  But  after  the  collapse 
of  the  imperial  government  a  waning  moon  would  have 
been  the  fitter  emblem  of  the  Crescent  Village :  its  privi- 
leges were  abrogated,  and  many  of  the  disappointed  Bauern 
returned  to  their  native  countries.  Still,  the  appointment 
of  a  few  half-Indian  officials  is  the  only  positive  grievance 
of  the  colonists,  and  the  advantages  of  their  climate  and 
situation  might  well  reconcile  them  to  greater  incon- 
veniences. 

At  a  distance  of  only  sixteen  degrees  from  the  equator, 
the  average  temperatures  of  the  coldest  and  warmest 
months  differ  less  than  spring  and  summer  in  the  United 
States,  so  that  the  September  weather  of  Geneva  or  Inn- 
spruck  is  here  as  perennial  as  a  sea-fog  in  Newfoundland. 
During  a  residence  of  seven  years,  Pastor  Wenck  has  chron- 
icled four  thunder-storms,  twenty-two  common  storms, 
two  hoar-frosts  (both  in  November),  one  sultry  day,  and 
two  hundred  and  eight  short  showers,  leaving  a  balance  of 
two  thousand  two  hundred  and  ninety-two  days  of  him- 
melswetter, — heaven  weather, — as  he  called  it,  alternating 
with  cool  nights  whose  dew  indemnifies  the  fields  for  the 
scantiness  of  the  annual  rainfall.  Yet  the  denizens  of 
this  Himmel-land  come  in  for  a  first-hand  share  of  all  the 
luxuries  which  a  compensating  nature  has  lavished  on  the 
inhabitants  of  the  sweltering  Tierra  Caliente. 

Forty  or  fifty  varieties  of  tropical  fruits  come  to  their 
tables  in  a  freshness  and  sun-ripened  sweetness  quite  un- 
known to  our  Northern  markets;  their  builders  may  se- 
lect their  material  from  groves  of  mahogany,  iron-wood, 


Stephens]     AMONG   THE  RUINS  OF  YUCATAN.  343 

American  ebony,  green-heart,  euphorbia,  and  other  timber- 
trees  of  the  coast  swamps ;  cacao,  vanilla,  gums,  and 
frankincense  can  be  bought  at  half  trade  prices,  and  an 
excursion  of  ten  miles  will  take  them  to  a  region  where  the 
pot-hunter  can  fill  his  bag  day  after  day  without  fear  of 
ever  exhausting  the  meat-supply,  where  the  adventurous 
sportsman  may  try  his  luck  and  the  mettle  of  his  dogs, 
and  where  the  naturalist  can  revel  in  all  the  wonders  of  a 
tropical  terra  incognita. 


AMONG  THE  RUINS  OF  YUCATAN. 

JOHN   L.  STEPHENS. 

[The  Egypt  of  America,  as  one  may  fairly  call  the  Maya  region  of 
Yucatan,  was  first  brought  prominently  into  notice  by  John  L.  Ste- 
phens, who  did  yeoman  service  in  exploring  the  massive  monuments 
of  a  past  civilization  there  scattered,  and  in  describing  and  picturing 
their  remarkable  details.  Since  his  period  many  travellers  have  visited 
and  studied  these  vast  remains  and  described  them  in  abundant  detail. 
But  Stephens  visited  that  region  as  a  discoverer,  and  from  his  works 
we  select  a  description  of  the  difficulties  under  which  he  labored  in 
his  interesting  work  of  exploration  at  Copan.  He  had  taken  quarters 
in  a  hut  near  the  ruins,  and  returned  to  his  former  quarters  for  his 
luggage.  The  homeward  journey  was  accomplished  under  stress  of 
opposing  circumstances.] 

In  the  mean  time  it  began  to  rain ;  and,  settling  my  ac- 
counts with  the  sefiora,  thanking  her  for  her  kindness, 
leaving  an  order  to  have  some  bread  baked  for  the  next 
day,  and  taking  with  me  an  umbrella  and  a  blue  bag,  con- 
tents unknown,  belonging  to  Mr.  Catherwood,  which  he 
had  particularly  requested  me  to  bring,  I  set  out  on  my 
return.  Augustin  followed,  with  a  tin  teapot  and  some 
other  articles  for  immediate  use.     Entering  the  woods,  the 


344  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Stephens 

umbrella  struck  against  the  branches  of  the  trees  and 
frightened  the  mule ;  and,  while  I  was  endeavoring  to  close 
it,  she  fairly  ran  away  with  me.  Having  only  a  halter,  I 
could  not  hold  her,  and,  knocking  me  against  the  branches, 
she  ran  through  the  woods,  splashed  into  the  river,  missing 
the  fording-place,  and  never  stopped  till  she  was  breast- 
deep.  The  river  was  swollen  and  angry,  and  the  rain 
pouring  down.  Eapids  were  forming  a  short  distance 
below.  In  the  effort  to  restrain  her  I  lost  Mr.  Cather- 
wood's  blue  bag,  caught  at  it  with  the  handle  of  the  um- 
brella, and  would  have  saved  it  if  the  beast  had  stood  still ; 
but  as  it  floated  under  her  nose  she  snorted  and  started 
back.  I  broke  the  umbrella  in  driving  her  across,  and, 
just  as  I  touched  the  shore,  saw  the  bag  floating  towards 
the  rapids,  and  Augustin,  with  his  clothes  in  one  hand  and 
the  teapot  in  the  other,  both  above  his  head,  steering  down 
the  river  after  it.  Supposing  it  to  contain  some  indispen- 
sable drawing-materials,  I  dashed  among  the  thickets  on 
the  bank,  in  the  hope  of  intercepting  it,  but  became  en- 
tangled among  branches  and  vines. 

I  dismounted  and  tied  my  mule,  and  was  two  or  three 
minutes  working  my  way  to  the  river,  where  I  saw  Au- 
gustin's  clothes  and  the  teapot,  but  nothing  of  him,  and, 
with  the  rapids  roaring  below,  had  horrible  apprehensions. 
It  was  impossible  to  continue  along  the  bank;  so,  with  a 
violent  effort,  I  jumped  across  a  rapid  channel  to  a  ragged 
island  of  sand  covered  with  scrub-bushes,  and,  running 
down  to  the  end  of  it,  saw  the  whole  face  of  the  river  and 
the  rapids,  but  nothing  of  Augustin.  I  shouted  with  all 
my  strength,  and,  to  my  inexpressible  relief,  heard  an  an- 
swer, but,  in  the  noise  of  the  rapids,  very  faint ;  presently 
he  appeared  in  the  water,  working  himself  round  a  point 
and  hauling  upon  the  bushes.  Eelieved  about  him,  I  now 
found   myself  in   a   quandary.     The  jump   back  was   to 


Stephens]     AMONG   THE  RUINS  OF  YUCATAN.  345 

higher  ground,  the  stream  a  torrent,  and,  the  excitement 
over,  I  was  afraid  to  attempt  it.  It  would  have  been 
exceedingly  inconvenient  for  me  if  Augustin  had  been 
drowned.  Making  his  way  through  the  bushes  and  down 
to  the  bank  opposite  with  his  dripping  body,  he  stretched  a 
pole  across  the  stream,  by  springing  upon  which  I  touched 
the  edge  of  the  opposite  bank,  slipped,  but  hauled  myself 
up  by  the  bushes  with  the  aid  of  a  lift  from  Augustin. 

All  this  time  it  was  raining  very  hard,  and  now  I  had 
forgotten  where  I  tied  my  mule.  "We  were  several  minutes 
looking  for  her,  and,  wishing  everything  but  good  luck  to 
the  old  bag,  I  mounted.  Augustin,  principally  because  he 
could  carry  them  more  conveniently  on  his  back,  put  on 
his  clothes. 

[Reaching  a  village,  he  took  shelter  till  the  rain  abated,  but  it  began 
worse  than  ever  after  he  again  took  to  the  road.] 

I  rode  on  some  distance,  and  again  lost  my  way.  It  was 
necessary  to  enter  the  woods  on  the  right.  I  had  come 
out  by  a  foot-path  which  I  had  not  noticed  particularly. 
There  were  cattle-paths  in  every  direction,  and  within  the 
line  of  a  mile  I  kept  going  in  and  out,  without  hitting  the 
right  one.  Several  times  I  saw  the  print  of  Augustin's 
feet,  but  soon  lost  them  in  puddles  of  water,  and  they  only 
confused  me  more;  at  length  I  came  to  a  complete  stand- 
still. It  was  nearly  dark  ;  I  did  not  know  which  way  to 
turn  ;  and  as  Mr.  Henry  Pelham  did  when  in  danger  of 
drowning  in  one  of  the  gutters  of  Paris,  I  stood  still  and 
halloed.  To  my  great  joy,  I  was  answered  by  a  roar  from 
Augustin,  who  had  been  lost  longer  than  I,  and  was  even 
in  greater  tribulation.  He  had  the  teapot  in  his  hand,  the 
stump  of  an  unlighted  cigar  in  his  mouth,  was  plastered 
with  mud  from  his  head  to  his  heels,  and  altogether  a  most 
distressful  object. 


346  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Stephens 

We  compared  notes,  and,  selecting  a  path,  shouting  as 
we  went,  our  united  voices  were  answered  by  barking  dogs 
and  Mr.  Catherwood,  who,  alarmed  at  our  absence,  and  ap- 
prehending what  had  happened,  was  coming  out  with  Don 
Miguel  to  look  for  us.  I  had  no  change  of  clothes,  and 
therefore  stripped  and  rolled  myself  in  a  blanket,  in  the 
style  of  a  North  American  Indian.  All  the  evening  peals 
of  thunder  crashed  over  our  heads,  lightning  illuminated 
the  dark  forest  and  flashed  through  the  open  hut,  the  rain 
fell  in  torrents,  and  Don  Miguel  said  that  there  was  a  pros- 
pect of  being  cut  off  for  several  days  from  all  communica- 
tion with  the  opposite  side  of  the  river  and  from  our  lug- 
gage. Nevertheless,  we  passed  the  evening  with  great 
satisfaction,  smoking  cigars  of  Copan  tobacco,  the  most 
famed  in  Central  America,  of  Don  Miguel's  own  growing 
and  his  wife's  own  making.  .  .  . 

At  daylight  the  clouds  still  hung  over  the  forest ;  as  the 
sun  rose  they  cleared  away ;  our  workmen  made  their  ap- 
pearance, and  at  nine  o'clock  we  left  the  hut.  The  branches 
of  the  trees  were  dripping  wet,  and  the  ground  was  very 
muddy.  Trudging  once  more  over  the  district  which  con- 
tained the  principal  monuments,  we  were  startled  by  the 
immensity  of  the  work  before  us,  and  very  soon  concluded 
that  to  explore  the  whole  extent  would  be  impossible.  Our 
guides  knew  only  of  this  district ;  but  having  seen  columns 
beyond  the  village,  a  league  distant,  we  had  reason  to  be- 
lieve that  others  were  strewed  in  different  directions,  com- 
pletely buried  in  the  woods  and  entirely  unknown.  The 
woods  were  so  dense  that  it  was  almost  hopeless  to  think 
of  penetrating  them.  The  only  way  to  make  a  thorough 
exploration  would  be  to  cut  down  the  whole  forest  and 
burn  the  trees.  This  was  incompatible  with  our  immediate 
purposes,  might  be  considered  taking  liberties,  and  could 
only  be  done  in  the  dry  season. 


Stephens]     AMONG   THE  RUINS  OF  YUCATAN.  347 

After  deliberation  we  resolved  first  to  obtain  drawings 
of  the  sculptured  columns.  Even  in  this  there  was  great 
difficulty.  The  designs  were  very  complicated,  and  so  dif- 
ferent from  anything  Mr.  Catherwood  had  ever  seen  before 
as  to  be  perfectly  unintelligible.  The  cutting  was  in  very 
high  relief,  and  required  a  strong  body  of  light  to  bring  up 
the  figures,  and  the  foliage  was  so  thick  and  the  shade  so 
deep  that  drawing  was  impossible. 

After  much  consultation  we  selected  one  of  the  "  idols," 
and  determined  to  cut  down  the  trees  around  it,  and  thus 
lay  it  open  to  the  rays  of  the  sun.  Here  again  was  diffi- 
culty. There  was  no  axe,  and  the  only  instrument  which 
the  Indians  possessed  was  the  machete,  or  chopping-knile, 
which  varies  in  form  in  different  sections  of  the  country. 
Wielded  with  one  hand,  it  was  useful  in  clearing  away 
shrubs  and  branches,  but  almost  harmless  upon  large  trees; 
and  the  Indians,  as  in  the  days  when  the  Spaniards  discov- 
ered them,  applied  to  work  without  ardor,  carried  it  on 
with  little  activity,  and,  like  children,  were  easily  diverted 
from  it.  One  hacked  into  a  tree,  and  when  tired,  which 
happened  very  soon,  sat  down  to  rest,  and  another  relieved 
him.  While  one  worked  there  were  alwaj7s  several  looking 
on.  I  remembered  the  ring  of  the  woodman's  axe  in  the 
forest  at  home,  and  wished  for  a  few  long-sided  Green 
Mountain  boys. 

But  we  had  been  buffeted  into  patience,  and  watched 
the  Indians  while  they  hacked  with  their  machetes,  and 
even  wondered  that  they  succeeded  so  well.  At  length  the 
trees  were  felled  and  dragged  aside,  a  space  cleared  around 
the  base,  Mr.  C.'s  frame  set  up,  and  he  set  to  work.  I  took 
two  Mestitzoes,  Bruno  and  Francisco,  and,  offering  them  a 
reward  for  every  new  discovery,  with  a  compass  in  my 
hand  set  out  on  a  tour  of  exploration.  Neither  had  seen 
"  the  idols"  until  the  morning  of  our  first  visit,  when  they 


348  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Stephens 

followed  in  our  train  to  laugh  at  los  Ingleses;  but  very 
soon  they  exhibited  such  an  interest  that  I  hired  them. 
Bruno  attracted  ray  attention  by  his  admiration,  as  I  sup- 
posed, of  my  person  ;  but  I  found  it  was  of  my  coat,  which 
was  a  long  shooting  frock,  with  many  pockets,  and  he  said 
that  he  could  make  one  just  like  it  except  the  skirts.  He 
was  a  tailor  by  profession,  and  in  the  intervals  of  a  great 
job  upon  a  roundabout  jacket  worked  with  his  machete. 
But  he  had  an  inborn  taste  for  the  arts.  As  we  passed 
through  the  woods  nothing  escaped  his  eye,  and  he  was 
professionally  curious  touching  the  costumes  of  the  sculp- 
tured figures.  I  was  struck  with  the  first  development  of 
their  antiquarian  taste.  Francisco  found  the  feet  and  legs 
of  a  statue,  and  Bruno  a  part  of  the  body  to  match,  and 
the  effect  was  electric  upon  both.  They  searched  and 
raked  up  the  ground  with  their  machetes  till  they  found 
the  shoulders,  and  set  it  up  entire  except  the  head;  and 
they  were  both  eager  for  the  possession  of  instruments 
with  which  to  dig  and  find  this  remaining  fragment. 

It  is  impossible  to  describe  the  interest  with  which  I  ex- 
plored these  ruins.  The  ground  was  entirely  new ;  there 
were  no  guide-books  or  guides;  the  whole  was  a  virgin 
soil.  We  could  not  see  ten  yards  before  us,  and  never 
knew  what  we  should  stumble  upon  next.  At  one  time 
we  stopped  to  cut  away  branches  and  vines  which  concealed 
the  face  of  a  monument,  and  then  to  dig  round  and  bring 
to  light  a  fragment,  a  sculptured  corner  of  which  pro- 
truded from  the  earth.  I  leaned  over  with  breathless  anx- 
iety while  the  Indians  worked,  and  an  eye,  an  ear,  a  foot, 
or  a  hand  was  disentombed ;  and  when  the  machete  rang 
against  the  chiselled  stone,  I  pushed  the  Indians  away  and 
cleared  out  the  loose  earth  with  my  hands.  The  beauty 
of  the  sculpture,  the  solemn  stillness  of  the  woods,  dis- 
turbed only  by  the  scrambling  of  monkeys  and  the  chat- 


Stephens]     AMONG   THE  RUINS  OF  YUCATAN.  349 

tering  of  parrots,  the  desolation  of  the  city,  and  the 
mystery  that  hung  over  it,  all  created  an  interest  higher, 
if  possible,  than  I  had  ever  felt  among  the  ruins  of  the  Old 
World.  After  several  hours'  absence  I  returned  to  Mr.  Cath- 
erwood,  and  reported  upward  of  fifty  objects  to  be  copied. 

I  found  him  not  so  well  pleased  as  I  expected  with  my 
report.  He  was  standing  with  his  feet  in  the  mud,  and 
was  drawing  with  his  gloves  on,  to  protect  his  hands  from 
the  mosquitoes.  As  we  feared,  the  designs  were  so  intri- 
cate and  complicated,  the  subjects  so  entirely  new  and  un- 
intelligible, that  he  had  great  difficulty  in  drawing.  He 
had  made  several  attempts,  both  with  the  camera  lucida 
and  without,  but  failed  to  satisfy  himself  or  even  me,  who 
was  less  severe  in  criticism.  The  "  idol"  seemed  to  defy 
his  art;  two  monkeys  on  a  tree  on  one  side  appeared  to  be 
laughing  at  him,  and  I  felt  discouraged  and  despondent. 
In  fact,  I  made  up  my  mind,  with  a  pang  of  regret,  that 
we  must  abandon  the  idea  of  carrying  away  any  materials 
for  antiquarian  speculation,  and  must  be  content  with 
having  seen  them  ourselves.  Of  that  satisfaction  nothing 
could  deprive  us.  We  returned  to  the  hut  with  our  in- 
terest undiminished,  but  sadly  out  of  heart  as  to  the  result 
of  our  labors. 

[Meanwhile,  the  blue  bag  which  had  caused  so  much  trouble  was 
recovered,  under  the  incitement  of  a  dollar  reward.  It  was  found  to 
contain  a  pair  of  old,  but  water-proof,  boots,  whose  recovery  cheered 
Mr.  Catherwood's  heart,  enabling  him  the  next  day  to  defy  the  wet 
mud.] 

That  day  Mr.  Catherwood  was  much  more  successful  in 
his  drawings  ;  indeed,  at  the  beginning  the  light  fell  exactly 
as  he  wished,  and  he  mastered  the  difficulty.  His  prepara- 
tions, too,  were  much  more  comfortable,  as  he  had  his 
water-proofs,  and  stood  on  a  piece  of  oiled  canvas  used  for 
covering  luggage  on  the  road.     I  passed  the  morning  in 

30 


350  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Stephens 

selecting  another  monument,  clearing  away  the  trees,  and 
preparing  it  for  him  to  copy.  At  one  o'clock  Augustin 
came  to  call  us  to  dinner.  Don  Miguel  had  a  patch  of 
beans,  from  which  Augustin  gathered  as  many  as  he 
pleased,  and,  with  the  fruits  of  a  standing  order  for  all  the 
eggs  in  the  village,  being  three  or  four  a  day,  strings  of 
beef,  and  bread  and  milk  from  the  hacienda,  we  did  very 
well.  In  the  afternoon  we  were  again  called  off  by  Au- 
gustin, with  the  message  that  the  alcalde  had  come  to  pay 
us  a  visit.  As  it  was  growing  late,  we  broke  up  for  the 
day,  and  went  back  to  the  hut.  We  shook  hands  with  the 
alcalde,  and  gave  him  and  his  attendants  cigars,  and  were 
disposed  to  be  sociable ;  but  the  dignitary  was  so  tipsy  he 
could  hardly  speak.  His  attendants  sat  crouching  on  the 
ground,  swinging  themselves  on  their  knee-joints,  and, 
though  the  positions  were  different,  reminding  us  of  the 
Arabs.  In  a  few  minutes  the  alcalde  started  up  suddenly, 
made  a  staggering  bow,  and  left  us. 

[Yet  trouble  was  brewing  for  tbem.  They  had  made  an  enemy 
of  the  great  man  of  the  district,  and  he  stirred  up  the  people  to  hos- 
tility. The  annoyance  grew  so  great  that  Stephens  found  it  necessary 
to  take  some  steps  to  restore  amity.] 

Mr.  Catherwood  went  to  the  ruins  to  continue  his  draw- 
ings, and  I  to  the  village,  taking  Augustin  with  me  to  fire 
the  Balize  guns,  and  buy  up  eatables  for  a  little  more  than 
they  were  worth.  My  first  visit  was  to  Don  Jose  Maria. 
After  clearing  up  our  character,  I  broached  the  subject  of 
a  purchase  of  the  ruins ;  told  him  that,  on  account  of  my 
public  business,  I  could  not  remain  as  long  as  I  desired, 
but  wished  to  return  with  spades,  pickaxes,  ladders,  crow- 
bars, and  men,  build  a  hut  to  live  in,  and  make  a  thorough 
exploration  ;  that  I  could  not  incur  the  expense  at  the  risk 
of  being  refused  permission  to  do   so ;    and,  in   short,  in 


Stephens]    AMONG   THE  RUINS  OF  YUCATAN.  351 

plain  English,  asked  him,  "  What  will  you  take  for  the 
ruins?"  I  think  he  was  not  more  surprised  than  if  I  had 
asked  him  to  buy  his  poor  old  wife,  our  rheumatic  patient, 
to  practise  medicine  upon.  He  seemed  to  doubt  which  of 
us  was  out  of  his  senses.  The  property  was  so  utterly 
worthless  that  my  wanting  to  buy  it  seemed  very  suspi- 
cious. On  examining  the  paper,  I  found  that  he  did  not 
own  the  fee,  but  held  under  a  lease  from  Don  Bernardo  de 
Aguila,  of  which  three  j-ears  were  unexpired.  The  tract 
consisted  of  about  six  thousand  acres,  for  which  he  paid 
eighty  dollars  a  year;  he  was  at  a  loss  what  to  do,  but 
told  me  that  he  would  reflect  upon  it,  consult  his  wife,  and 
give  me  an  answer  at  the  hut  the  next  day. 

I  then  visited  the  alcalde,  but  he  was  too  tipsy  to  be  sus- 
ceptible of  any  impression  ;  prescribed  for  several  patients  ; 
and  instead  of  going  to  Don  Gregorio's  sent  him  a  polite  re- 
quest by  Don  Jose  Maria  to  mind  his  own  business  and  let 
us  alone ;  returned  and  passed  the  rest  of  the  day  among  the 
ruins.  It  rained  during  the  night,  but  again  cleared  off  in 
the  morning,  and  we  were  on  the  ground  early.  My  busi- 
ness was  to  go  around  with  the  workmen  to  clear  away  trees 
and  bushes,  dig,  and  excavate,  and  prepare  monuments  for 
Mr.  Catherwood  to  copy.  While  so  engaged,  I  was  called 
off  by  a  visit  from  Don  Jose  Maria,  who  was  still  undecided 
what  to  do ;  and  not  wishing  to  appear  too  anxious,  told 
him  to  take  more  time,  and  come  again  the  next  morning. 

The  next  morning  he  came,  and  his  condition  was  truly 
pitiable.  He  was  anxious  to  convert  unproductive  property 
into  money,  but  afraid,  and  said  that  I  was  a  stranger,  and 
it  might  bring  him  into  difficulty  with  the  government.  I 
again  went  into  proof  of  character,  and  engaged  to  save 
him  harmless  with  the  government,  or  release  him.  Don 
Miguel  read  my  letters  of  recommendation,  and  re-read  the 
letter  of  General  Cascara.     He  was  convinced,  but  these 


352  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Stephens 

papers  did  not  give  him  a  right  to  sell  his  land ;  the  shade 
of  suspicion  still  lingered ;  for  a  finale,  I  opened  my  trunk, 
put  on  a  diplomatic  coat,  with  a  profusion  of  large  eagle 
buttons.  I  had  on  a  Panama  hat,  soaked  with  rain  and 
spotted  with  mud,  a  check  shirt,  white  pantaloons,  yellow 
up  to  the  knees  with  mud,  and  was  about  as  outre  as  the 
negro  king  who  received  a  company  of  British  officers  on 
the  coast  of  Africa  in  a  cocked  hat  and  military  coat, 
without  any  inexpressibles ;  but  Don  Jose  Maria  could  not 
withstand  the  buttons  on  my  coat ;  the  cloth  was  the  finest 
he  had  ever  seen;  and  Don  Miguel,  and  his  wife,  and 
Bartale  realized  fully  that  they  had  in  their  hut  an  illus- 
trious incognito.  The  only  question  was  who  should  find 
paper  on  which  to  draw  the  contract.  I  did  not  stand 
upon  trifles,  and  gave  Don  Miguel  some  paper,  who  took 
our  mutual  instructions,  and  appointed  the  next  day  for 
the  execution  of  the  deed. 

The  reader  is  perhaps  curious  to  know  how  old  cities  sell 
in  Central  America.  Like  other  articles  of  trade,  they  are 
regulated  by  the  quantity  in  market  and  the  demand ;  but, 
not  being  staple  articles,  like  cotton  and  indigo,  they  were 
held  at  fancy  prices,  and  at  that  time  were  dull  of  sale.  I 
paid  fifty  dollars  for  Copan.  There  was  never  any  difficulty 
about  price.  I  offered  that  sum,  for  which  Don  Jose  Maria 
thought  me  only  a  fool ;  if  I  had  offered  more,  he  would 
probably  have  considered  me  something  worse. 

We  had  regular  communications  with  the  hacienda  by 
means  of  Francisco,  who  brought  thence  every  morning  a 
large  waccal  of  milk,  carrying  it  a  distance  of  three  miles 
and  fording  the  river  twice.  The  ladies  of  the  hacienda 
had  sent  us  word  they  intended  paying  us  a  visit,  and  this 
morning  Don  Gregorio's  wife  appeared,  leading  a  procession 
of  all  the  women  of  the  house,  servants,  and  children,  with 
two  of  her  sons.     We  received  them  among  the  ruins, 


Stephens]     AMONG    THE  RUINS  OF  YUCATAN.  353 

seated  them  as  well  as  we  could,  and,  as  the  first  act  of 
civility,  gave  them  cigars  all  around.  It  can  hardly  be 
believed,  but  not  one  of  them,  not  even  Don  Gregorio's 
sons,  had  ever  seen  the  "  idols"  before,  and  now  they  were 
much  more  curious  to  see  Mr.  C.'s  drawings.  In  fact,  I 
believe  it  was  the  fame  of  these  drawings  that  procured  us 
the  honor  of  the  visit.  In  his  heart,  Mr.  C.  was  not  much 
happier  to  see  them  than  the  old  Don  was  to  see  us,  as  his 
work  was  stopped,  and  every  day  was  precious.  As  I  con- 
sidered myself  in  a  manner  the  proprietor  of  the  city,  I 
was  bound  to  do  the  honors ;  and,  to  the  distress  of  Mr.  C, 
brought  them  all  back  upon  him. 

Obliged  to  give  up  work,  we  invited  them  down  to  the 
hut  to  see  our  accommodations ;  some  of  them  were  our 
patients  and  reminded  us  we  had  not  sent  the  medicines 
we  promised.  The  fact  is,  we  avoided  giving  medicines 
when  we  could,  among  other  reasons,  from  an  apprehension 
that  if  any  one  happened  to  die  on  our  hands  we  should  be 
held  responsible ;  but  our  reputation  was  established ; 
honors  were  buckled  on  our  backs  and  we  were  obliged  to 
wear  them.  These  ladies,  in  spite  of  Don  Gregorio's  crust- 
iness, had  always  treated  us  kindly,  and  we  would  fain 
have  shown  our  sense  of  it  in  some  other  mode  than  by 
giving  them  physic;  but  to  gratify  them  in  their  own  way, 
we  distributed  among  them  powders  and  pills,  with  written 
directions  for  use;  and  when  they  went  away  escorted 
them  some  distance,  and  had  the  satisfaction  of  hearing 
that  they  avenged  us  on  Don  Gregorio  by  praises  of  our 
gallantry  and  attentions. 

[As  regards  the  wonderful  discoveries  which  Mr.  Stephens  made  in 
his  low-priced  city,  the  story  is  much  too  extensive  to  be  given  here, 
and  those  who  would  know  more  about  these  remarkable  ruins  must 
refer  to  his  "  Incidents  of  Travel  in  Central  America,  Chiapas,  and 
Yucatan,"  which  will  be  found  abundantly  worth  perusal.] 
1.— x       '  30* 


354 


HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Froebkl 


THE  ROUTE  OF  THE  NICARAGUA  CANAL. 

JULIUS  FROEBEL. 

fThe  waters  which  it  is  proposed  to  utilize  in  the  construction  of  the 
Nicaragua  Canal,  mainly  those  of  the  San  Juan  Kiver  and  the  Lake 
of  Nicaragua,  are  of  sufficient  interest  to  call  for  some  description  at 
our  hands!  and  we  subjoin,  from  Froebel's  «  Seven  Years  of  Travel  m 
Central  America,"  an  account  of  a  journey  on  those  waters.] 

At  that  time  [1850]  steamboats  were  not  yet  P^gon 
the  San  Juan  Kiver  and  the  Lake  of  Nicaragua,  and  I  had 
to  content  myself  with  the  accommodations  of  one  of  the 
large  canoes  of  the  natives  called  bongos,  which  were  then 
the  principal  means  of  transport  between  the  coast  and  the 
interior,  for  passengers  as  well  as  for  merchandise.     In 
company  with  two   Americans,  who,   like   myself,  were 
anxious  to  proceed  to  Granada,  I  hired  one  of  the  largest 
of  these  clumsy  little  crafts,  manned  with  ten  boatmen  or 
mariner -m,  together  with  their  captain  or  patron,  all  of  them 
colored  people  from  the  interior.     We  laid  in  provisions 
for   a   fortnight,  such  being   the    full  time   of  a   passage 
which  is  now  performed  by  steamers  in  two  days. 

We  left  San  Juan  on  the  23d  of  November,  and  arrived 
at  Granada  on  the  5th  of  the  following  month.  In  refer- 
ence to  the  beauties  of  nature  the  trip  is  one  of  the  most 
interesting  that  can  be  made,  though  the  state  of  my 
health  prevented  my  enjoying  it.  .  .  .  An  open  shed,  fur- 
nished with  a  hammock  and  surrounded  by  a  plantain 
garden  of  half  an  acre,  was  the  only  improvement  in  an 
extent  of  more  than  a  hundred  miles.  With  this  single 
exception,  and  with  that  of  the  site  of  the  old  castle  of 
San  Juan,  more  generally  known  by  the  popular  name  of 


Froebel]     ROUTE  OF   THE  NICARAGUA   CANAL.  355 

Castillo  Viejo,  the  banks  were  covered  with  trees  to  the 
water's  edge,  their  branches  often  bearing  a  vegetation  of 
vines,  climbers,  and  parasites,  so  densely  interwoven  that 
the  whole  appeared  like  a  solid  wall  of  leaves  and  flowers. 

I  shall  never  forget  the  impressions  of  one  night  and 
morning  on  this  river.  Our  boat  had  anchored  in  the 
midst  of  the  stream.  Strange  forms  of  trees,  spectre-like 
in  the  dark,  stood  before  us,  and  seemed  to  move  as  the  eye 
strove  in  vain  to  make  out  their  real  shape.  From  time  to 
time  a  splash  in  the  water,  caused  by  the  movement  of  an 
alligator,  the  bellowing  of  a  manatee,  the  screeching  of  a 
night-bird,  or  the  roar  of  some  beast  of  the  forest,  broke 
the  silence,  and  mingled  at  last  with  my  feverish  dream. 

In  the  morning  a  song  our  boatmen  addressed  to  the 
Virgin  roused  me  from  my  sleep.  It  was  a  strain  of  plain- 
tive notes  in  a  few  simple  but  most  expressive  modulations. 
Several  years  later  I  heard  them  again,  sung  by  the 
Mexican  miners  in  the  subterraneous  chapel  of  the  quick- 
silver mine  of  New  Almaden  in  California,  and  I  never 
shall  forget  the  deep  emotion  felt  on  both  occasions,  so 
widely  different  in  every  other  respect.  In  the  latter  the 
scene  passed  in  a  narrow  excavation  before  a  little  altar 
cut  out  of  the  natural  rock,  on  which,  before  a  gilded 
image  of  the  Virgin,  two  thin  tallow  candles  were  casting 
their  scanty  light  over  the  forms  of  fifteen  or  twenty  men 
calling  down  the  blessing  of  Heaven  on  their  day  of  work 
in  the  interior  of  the  mountain.  In  the  former,  it  was  in 
the  brightness  and  splendor  of  a  morning  of  which  no 
description  can  convey  a  full  idea  to  one  who  has  had  no 
experience  in  the  most  favored  regions  of  a  tropical  climate. 
The  sun  was  just  rising,  and  as  the  first  rays,  gilding  the 
glassy  leaves  of  the  forest,  fell  upon  the  bronze-colored 
bodies  of  our  men,  letting  the  naked  forms  of  their  athletic 
frames  appear  in  all  the  contrast  of  light  and  shade,  while 


356  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Froebbl 

accents  plaintive  and  imploring  strained  forth  from  their 
lips,  I  thought  to  hear  the  sacred  spell  by  which,  uncon- 
scious of  its  power,  these  men  were  subduing  their  own 
half-savage  natures. 

At  once  the  same  song  was  repeated  from  behind  a  pro- 
jecting corner  of  the  bank,  and  other  voices  joined  those 
of  our  crew  in  the  sacred  notes.  Two  canoes,  covered 
from  our  view,  had  anchored  near  us  during  the  night. 
The  song  at  last  died  away  in  the  wilderness.  A  silent 
prayer — our  anchor  was  raised,  and,  with  a  wild  shout  of 
the  crew,  twelve  oars  simultaneously  struck  the  water. 
The  sun  was  glittering  in  the  river.  The  tops  of  the  trees 
were  steeped  in  light,  monkeys  were  swinging  in  the 
branches,  splendid  macaws  flew  in  pairs  from  bank  to 
bank;  all  around  exhibited  the  glory  and  brightness  of 
superabundant  nature. 

Near  the  mouth  of  the  river,  as  far  up  as  the  higher  end 
of  its  delta,  the  banks  are  almost  on  the  water's  level,  over- 
grown with  reeds,  mangroves,  and  a  low  species  of  palm- 
tree,  the  latter  forming  extensive  thickets  in  the  swamps. 
After  a  distance  of  fourteen  or  fifteen  miles  the  land  grad- 
ually becomes  a  little  higher,  and  steep  embankments  of  a 
brown  or  reddish  clay  rise  to  some  ten  or  twenty  feet  above 
the  water.  The  low  palm  thickets  of  the  swampy  region 
disappear,  and  a  vegetation  of  splendid  trees,  mostly  ex- 
ogenous, overhung  with  blooming  vines,  takes  their  place. 
Flowery  garlands,  swung  from  branch  to  branch,  hang  over 
the  stream,  while  now  and  then  the  slender  shafts  of  one 
of  the  tallest  species  of  the  palm  tribe  wafts  its  little  crown 
of  feathery  leaves  high  over  the  gorgeous  masses  of  the 
heavier  foliage. 

Eight  or  ten  miles  higher  up  the  region  of  the  randales, 
or  rapids,  begins.  Here  the  river,  locked  in  between 
wooded  hills,  presents  a  new  character  of  scenery.     The 


Froebel]     ROUTE  OF  THE  NICARAGUA    CANAL.  357 

trees,  covering  the  hill-sides  with  an  almost  impenetrable 
forest,  exhibit  an  extraordinary  variety  of  forms  in  striking 
contrast.  The  most  interesting  situation  in  this  region  is 
that  of  the  Castillo  Viejo.  Here,  where  the  river  foams 
over  a  bed  of  rocks,  stands  the  old  Spanish  castle  of  Don 
Juan.  Since  1780  it  has  remained  a  ruin,  though  Nicara- 
gua has  always  kept  a  few  soldiers  here,  occupying  a  shed 
at  the  foot  of  the  hill  on  which  the  remains  of  the  fort  are 
seen.  In  the  civil  wars  of  the  last  years  this  place  has 
repeatedly  been  occupied  and  evacuated  by  the  contending 
powers. 

Among  the  rapids,  that  of  the  Castillo  Viejo  is  the  only 
one  that  forms  a  real  impediment  in  the  navigation  of  the 
river.  With  the  necessary  caution  canoes  may  descend, 
and  I  myself  have  passed  over  it  on  my  way  back  to  the 
coast  in  a  bongo  carrying  forty  passengers ;  upward, 
however,  all  boats  must  be  towed,  after  having  been  un- 
loaded. .  .  . 

Above  the  region  of  the  rapids  the  river  is  almost  stag- 
nant, and  the  designation  of  the  aguas  muertas,  or  dead 
waters,  is  not  inappropriately  applied  to  it.  It  is  a  deep 
and  still  water,  full  of  fish,  with  low  and  swampy  banks, 
on  which  the  palm  thickets  of  the  delta  reappear. 

Beyond  this  latter  portion  of  the  river  the  Lake  of  Nica- 
ragua opens  to  the  view.  On  the  little  promontory  formed 
by  the  lake  and  the  inlet  of  the  river  the  custom-house  of 
Nicaragua,  designated  by  the  high-sounding  name  of  the 
"fort  of  San  Carlos,"  has  been  established.  There  area 
few  houses  at  this  place,  and  a  small  military  force  is  kept 
up  to  protect  the  establishment  and,  in  case  of  necessity, 
enforce  the  payment  of  the  dues.  The  ruins  of  an  old 
Spanish  castle  still  exist  here,  but  they  are  hidden  among 
the  trees  and  shrubs  with  which  they  aro  overgrown. 

The  view  from  this  elevation  has  a  peculiar  character  of 


35S  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Froebel 

grandeur.  At  the  foot  of  the  hill  a  broad  sheet  of  water 
is  spread,  studded,  in  the  immediate  neighborhood,  with 
some  green  islands  of  diminutive  dimensions,  and  extend- 
ing, in  a  northwesterly  direction,  as  far  as  the  eye  can 
reach.  To  the  left,  a  low  wooded  shore  begins  at  the  out- 
let of  the  lake,  and  continues  in  that  direction  till  it  is  lost 
in  the  distance  of  the  western  horizon.  A  chain  of  high 
mountains,  cast  in  a  shroud  of  dark  forests,  rises  in  the 
rear,  covering  an  unknown  region  of  Costa  Rica.  It  com- 
prises several  active  volcanoes,  which  on  late  occasions 
have  illumined  the  surface  of  the  lake  by  their  flames  and 
red-hot  streams  of  lava.  To  the  right,  the  view  does  not 
extend  beyond  the  nearest  hills  ;  but  at  a  short  distance 
from  the  lake  it  ranges  over  a  long  line  of  bi'oken  emi- 
nences, with  the  mountain-chain  of  Chontales  in  the  rear, 
bordering  like  a  wall  the  table-land  of  Upper  Mosquitia. 
Hill  and  dale,  forests  and  savannas,  appear  in  endless 
variety  in  this  direction.  On  the  distant  horizon  in  the 
centre  of  the  view  the  two  cones  of  the  island  of  Ometepe 
are  seen,  faintly  traced,  and  as  their  forms  are  lifted  up- 
ward by  refraction,  they  seem  to  swim  over  the  water. 

At  the  very  spot  where  the  San  Juan  River  leaves  the 
lake  the  Rio  Frio  enters  it.  This  is  a  river  coming  down 
from  the  mountains  of  Costa  Rica,  through  an  absolute 
wilderness  which,  it  is  asserted,  has  never  been  trodden  by 
the  foot  of  a  civilized  man.  The  dense  forests  of  this 
region  are  inhabited  by  a  warlike  tribe  of  Indians  who  re- 
fuse to  have  any  intercourse  with  the  rest  of  the  world. 
They  are  said  to  be  of  very  fair  complexion,  a  statement 
which  has  caused  the  appellation  of  Indios  blancos  or  Gua- 
tusos, — the  latter  name  being  that  of  an  animal  of  reddish- 
brown  color,  and  intended  to  designate  the  color  of  their 
hair.  It  is  stated  that  not  only  do  they  not  allow  a  for- 
eigner to  enter  their  territory,  but  that  they  are  even  in 


Fbokbkl]     ROUTE   OF  THE  NICARAGUA    CANAL.  359 

the  habit  of  killing  those  of  their  own  people  who  again 
fall  into  their  hands  after  having  been  away  among  the 
civilized  inhabitants  of  the  neighboring  settlements.  .  .  . 

While  in  California,  I  heard  of  a  young  German,  living 
in  the  neighborhood  of  San  Francisco,  who  recounts  a  little 
romance  of  adventures  he  met  with  among  this  people. 
Though  the  story  was  not  told  to  me  by  the  man  himself, 
still,  as  it  was  repeated  by  a  trustworthy  friend  who  had 
derived  it  from  the  original  source,  I  may  be  allowed  to 
introduce  it  here. 

The  young  man  was  on  his  way  to  California.  When 
at  San  Carlos  he  had  some  difference  or  quarrel  with  his 
travelling  companions,  and,  being  afraid  of  a  pistol-ball  or 
a  bowie-knife,  took  the  desperate  resolution  of  swimming 
to  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  where  he  soon  fell  into  the 
hands  of  a  body  of  these  Indians.  He  was  tied  to  a  tree, 
and  they  then  held  a  council  as  to  the  manner — so  at  least 
he  believed — of  putting  him  to  death.  Suddenly,  however, 
as  it  has  happened  before  in  similar  cases,  a  young  girl, 
the  daughter  of  the  chief,  hurried  forth,  clasped  her  arms 
round  the  neck  of  my  blue-eyed  countryman,  and  gave  a 
favorable  turn  to  his  fate. 

Of  course,  he  married  the  girl,  and,  as  the  consort  of 
this  Indian  pi'incess,  he  spent  a  few  months  in  the  forest, 
till  he  was  ungrateful  enough  to  forsake  his  generous  bride, 
and  avail  himself  of  an  opportunity  to  swim  back  to  San 
Carlos,  continuing,  after  this  romantic  episode,  his  journey 
to  California. 

According  to  his  statements,  he  would  have  remained 
with  the  Indians  had  he  been  able  to  endure  the  life  in  the 
wilderness,  which  he  found  rather  too  ill-provided  with 
accommodations  for  enjoying  his  honeymoon.  During  the 
rainy  season  the  tribe  lived  almost  exclusively  on  the 
trees,  and  he  speaks  in  very  high  terms  of  the  dexterity 


360  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Froebel 

with  which  they  would  leap  from  branch  to  branch,  a  mode 
of  travelling  in  which  he  often  found  it  too  difficult  to 
follow  his  nimble  spouse.  At  the  time  of  each  full  moon 
the  whole  tribe  met  m  council,  for  which  the  place  was 
designated  from  one  meeting  to  the  next  by  the  chief,  and 
whatever  was  done  by  common  agreement  was  regulated 
according  to  the  phases  of  the  moon. 

Some  years  before  the  period  of  my  first  arrival  in  Nic- 
aragua, the  officer  then  in  command  of  the  fort  of  San 
Carlos  fitted  out  an  expedition  for  the  purpose  of  exploring 
the  country  on  the  Eio  Frio,  which  is  known  to  be  rich  in 
gold.  This  little  corps,  having  hit  upon  a  deserted  village 
of  the  Indians  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  and  resting  in  the 
shade  of  some  trees  in  the  outskirts  of  the  forest,  was  sud- 
denly assailed  by  a  shower  of  arrows,  and,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  commanding  officer,  who  was  severely  wounded, 
but  succeeded  in  hiding  himself  between  the  reeds  till  a 
boat  from  the  fort  came  to  his  rescue,  every  man  of  the 
expeditionary  force  was  killed.  .  .  . 

Our  passage  up  the  river  had  taken  us  nine  days,  making 
an  average  progress  of  about  twelve  miles  per  day.  Three 
days  more  were  spent  in  crossing  the  lake.  With  the 
native  boatmen  it  seems  to  be  a  rule  to  abstain  from  using 
oars  even  when  they  are  becalmed.  Before  we  left  the 
aguas  muertas  a  small  tree  had  been  cut.  This  was  now 
erected  as  a  mast,  a  sail  was  spread,  and  slowly  we  began 
to  move  in  the  direction  of  Granada.  Our  navigation  was 
of  a  very  primitive  kind.  At  night,  while  every  soul  on 
board  slept  soundly,  our  bongo  was  left  to  find  its  own  way, 
which,  however,  it  refused  to  do ;  for  when  we  awoke  at 
dawn  I  saw  we  were  heading  to  the  place  we  had  come 
from.  By  and  by,  nevertheless,  we  drew  nearer  to  our 
point  of  destination.  When  we  had  left  the  two  peaks  of 
Ometepe  on  one  side,  the  summit  of  Mombacho,  designating 


Scherzer]     THE  DESTRUCTION  OF  SAN  SALVADOR.      361 

the  site  of  Granada,  gradually  rose  from  the  water.  We 
passed  the  island  of  Zapotera,  celebrated  for  its  idols,  which 
have  been  discovered  and  described  by  my  friend  Mr. 
Squier.  It  is  uninhabited,  and  may  be  said  to  be  a  moun- 
tain covered  with  a  forest,  here  and  there  interrupted  by  a 
savanna.  Like  other  islands  in  this  lake,  it  contains  nu- 
merous wild  animals,  such  as  deer,  peccaries,  monkeys,  and 
panthers.  .  .  . 

On  the  evening  of  the  5th  of  December  we  doubled  the 
outermost  rock  of  the  Corrales  or  Isletas,  a  cluster  of  more 
than  a  hundred  diminutive  islands  at  the  foot  of  the  Mom- 
bacho,  and  a  few  hours  after  dark  landed  on  the  playa,  or 
beach,  of  Grenada. 


THE  DESTRUCTION  OF  SAN  SALVADOR. 

CARL  SCHERZER. 

[Dr.  Carl  Scherzer,  in  his  "  Travels  in  the  Free  States  of  Central 
America,"  gives  a  graphic  picture  of  the  destruction,  in  1854,  of  the 
city  of  San  Salvador  by  an  earthquake,  as  witnessed  by  his  friend  Dr. 
Wagner,  whose  description  of  the  event  is  well  worth  repeating.  This 
city,  which  stands  on  a  plateau  about  two  thousand  feet  above  the 
Pacific,  was  built  by  the  Spaniards  in  1528,  and,  with  the  exception 
of  Guatemala,  was  the  neatest  and  handsomest  of  Central  American 
cities,  possessing  several  handsome  churches,  a  new  university,  and 
numerous  attractive  residences.] 

On  the  12th  and  13th  of  April,  1854,  there  was  heard  in 
the  upper  part  of  the  city,  towards  the  southwest,  a  hollow, 
subterranean,  rumbling  noise,  which  recurred  at  short  in- 
tervals and  continued  for  several  minutes,  appearing  to 
come  from  the  mountains  which  form  a  kind  of  large  semi- 
circle at  the  foot  of  the  volcano,  but  there  was  no  shock 
whatever.  On  the  Good  Friday,  at  half-past  seven  in  the 
<i  31  * 


362  HALF-HOURS  OF   TRAVEL.  [Scherzer 

morning,  two  slight  shocks,  quickly  succeeding  each  other, 
were  felt,  and  about  ten  minutes  afterwards  a  rather 
stronger  one.  The  roof  and  walls  of  my  cottage  shook, 
without  my  at  first  perceiving  the  cause ;  but  a  young 
Spaniard,  who  waited  on  me,  said,  quietly,  "Esun  temblor." 
Being  a  native  of  the  country,  he  was  accustomed  to  the 
phenomenon,  and  thought  little  of  it. 

These  tremblings  and  rockings  of  the  earth,  that  seem 
so  terrible  to  us  Europeans,  are  such  ordinary  occurrences 
in  the  environs  of  San  Salvador  that  the  district  has  ac- 
quired the  name  of  the  "swinging  mat;"  but  these  shocks, 
though  frequent,  had  never  been  hitherto  of  the  violent 
and  destructive  character  which  they  have  assumed  at  Val- 
paraiso and  Lima,  where  about  once  in  a  century  the 
destruction  of  a  town  is  reckoned  on  as  a  matter  of  course. 

The  volcano  of  Isalco,  too,  being  in  constant  activity, 
and  only  forty-eight  miles  south  of  the  city  of  San  Salvador, 
had  alwaj'S  been  regarded  as  a  chimney  and  safety-valve, 
affording  a  free  vent  for  the  steam  and  other  dangerous 
products  of  the  subterranean  furnace. 

The  shocks  were  repeated  at  tolerably  regular  intervals, 
two  or  three  in  an  hour,  during  the  whole  of  the  Good 
Friday,  and  all  had  the  same  direction, — namely,  from 
west-southwest  to  east-northeast ;  at  which  point,  a  league 
from  the  town,  lies  the  great  crater  of  Cuscatlan,  about  five 
hundred  feet  above  San  Salvador. 

The  ceremonies  of  the  Good  Friday  proceeded  with  the 
accustomed  pomp,  and  people  did  not  think  of  disturbing 
their  processions,  or  their  visits  to  the  cathedral,  on  account 
of  the  earthquake ;  though  occasionally,  when  there  came 
a  shock  rather  stronger  than  usual,  some  of  the  devout 
crowd  did  turn  pale  and  make  a  rush  towards  the  doors. 

At  half-past  nine  in  the  evening  there  came  a  shock  so 
violent  that  the  houses  were  shaken  to  the  foundations,  the 


Scherzer]     THE  DESTRUCTION  OF  SAN  SALVADOR.     363 

roofs  cracked,  plaster  and  tiles  fell,  and  the  walls  in  many 
places  were  rent.  The  houses  are  all  low  and  broad,  with- 
out upper  stories,  the  walls  mostly  of  clay,  which  is  very 
elastic,  and  the  rafters  made  of  pliable,  closely-plaited  cane, 
admirably  adapted  to  resist  the  most  violent  shocks;  other- 
wise the  houses  would  have  fallen  in  a  mass  with  this  one, 
which  lasted  eight  seconds,  the  ground  undulating  like  the 
ocean.  Every  one  rushed  out  into  the  open  air,  but  a  full 
hour  passed  without  any  further  movement.  We  deter- 
mined, nevertheless,  not  to  sleep  under  a  roof;  but  my 
countryman,  Mr.  Kronmeier,  the  Prussian  vice-consul,  who 
came  home  about  eleven  o'clock,  laughed  at  our  caution, 
and  went  to  bed  as  usual  in  his  bedroom.  He  was  used  to 
these  unpleasant  occurrences ;  though  he  confessed  that, 
during  a  residence  of  sixteen  years  in  Central  America  and 
Mexico,  he  had  never  felt  in  one  day  so  many  shocks  as 
during  the  one  just  past. 

The  old  volcano  of  Cuscatlan,  from  which  the  shocks 
appeared  to  proceed,  lies,  as  I  have  said,  about  three  miles 
from  the  city ;  viewed  from  this  direction,  it  forms  a  beau- 
tiful cone,  with  a  gently  rounded  summit,  and  its  sides  are 
clothed  from  top  to  bottom  with  wood;  its  crater  is  still 
quite  perfect,  a  mile  and  a  half  in  diameter,  and  filled  with 
water  at  the  bottom.  .  .  .  There  exists  no  certain  record 
of  the  former  activity  of  this  volcano ;  but  according  to 
tradition  an  eruption  of  lava  from,  a  cleft  in  its  side  took 
place  in  1650,  and  overwhelmed  the  village  of  Neliopa ; 
but  according  to  others  it  was  merely  an  eruption  of  mud 
and  not  of  fire.  .  .  . 

The  morning  of  Easter  Sunday  was  announced  as  usual 
by  the  firing  off  of  rockets  and  a  joyous  burst  of  military 
music.  The  multitude  betook  themselves  in  festival  pro- 
cession to  the  Cathedral,  to  witness  the  celebration  of  high 
mass ;  the  houses  were  gayly  adorned  with  branches  of 


364  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Scherzeb 

palm  and  banana-leaves,  and  the  "  Sanctissimum"  was  borne 
in  triumph  through  the  streets,  followed  by  crowds  of 
senors  and  senoritas  in  their  gayest  attire.  .  .  .  On  this 
Easter  Day,  as  on  preceding  ones,  the  people,  after  having 
performed  their  devotions  like  good  Catholics,  gave  them- 
selves up  to  festivity  and  enjoyment,  and  the  day  closed 
with  music,  feasting,  and  fireworks. 

Immediately  after  nine  o'clock,  however,  a  shock  occurred 
more  violent  than  the  strongest  felt  on  the  Good  Friday. 
I  was  unwell  with  a  slight  feverish  attack,  and  had  gone  to 
bed,  but  was  awakened  by  the  noise.  Some  walls  fell  in, 
many  houses  were  rent,  and  a  part  of  the  ceiling  of  my 
room  fell,  striking  me  on  the  head  and  face,  and  for  some 
minutes  blinding  me  with  the  dust.  I  sprang  from  my 
bed,  and  groped  my  way  to  the  door,  which  unluckily  I 
had  locked  ;  hut  after  a  time  I  succeeded  in  getting  it  open, 
and  made  my  way  to  the  court  yard,  where  I  found  the  rest 
of  the  inhabitants  of  the  house  praying  and  screaming. 

After  a  few  moments  had  elasped,  however,  they  had 
quite  got  over  their  fright,  and  were  laughing  and  joking  at 
their  previous  consternation  and  precipitate  flight.  Unless 
the  houses  actually  fall,  people  do  not,  after  the  first  mo- 
ment, think  much  of  these  shocks,  but  this  time  they  did 
take  the  precaution  to  put  all  their  doors  open,  and  had 
their  beds  carried  out  into  the  court.  Mine  was  placed 
under  the  gallery  of  the  corridor,  and  a  great  deal  of  com- 
passion was  expressed  for  me  when  they  found  I  had  been  a 
little  hurt.  A  young  doctor,  who  occupied  the  room  next 
to  mine,  thought  there  would  be  no  strong  "  temblor"  again 
to-night,  but  an  aged  priest  said  that  this  house  was  old 
and  decayed,  and  it  was  very  necessary  to  be  careful.  My 
housemates  then  went  back  into  their  rooms,  and,  though 
they  kept  the  doors  open,  consumed  with  a  good  appetite 
the  remainder  of  the  Easter  feast,  the  conversation  the 


Scherzer]    THE  DESTRUCTION  OF  SAN  SALVADOR.     365 

while    turning,    of    course,    almost    exclusively    on    the 
"  temblor." 

I  lay  gazing  up  into  the  night  sky,  not  at  all  inclined  to 
sleep.  The  day  had  been,  as  usual,  very  warm,  the  ther- 
mometer at  noon  showing  88°  Fahrenheit ;  a  heavy  mass 
of  clouds  (stratocumulus)  lay  piled  up  about  the  waning 
moon,  but  dispersed  towards  ten  o'clock,  and  the  moon 
then  shone  brightly  through  a  clear  and  tranquil  atmos- 
phere. A  few  light  scattered  clouds  of  the  cirrus  and 
cirro-stratus  lay  motionless  at  a  few  points  on  the  horizon, 
but  there  was  nothing  to  portend  any  unusual  phenomenon. 

At  thirty  minutes  past  ten,  however,  came  the  shock  that 
laid  the  city  of  San  Salvador  in  ruins.  It  began  with  a 
terrific  noise,  the  earth  heaving  as  if  lifted  by  a  subterra- 
nean sea ;  and  this  movement,  and  the  thunder  accompany- 
ing it.  continued  for  ten  or  twelve  seconds,  while  the  crash 
and  uproar  of  falling  buildings  were  still  more  deafening 
than  the  thunder.  An  immense  and  blinding  cloud  of  dust 
arose,  through  which  were  heard  the  shrieks  and  supplica- 
tions of  the  flying  people,  calling  on  "Maria  Santissima" 
and  all  other  saints;  and  at  length  a  hymn,  in  thousand- 
voiced  chorus,  which  was  heard  plainly,  through  all  the 
other  noises,  at  a  distance  of  a  mile  and  a  half  from  the 
town,  by  a  family  of  German  emigrants  with  whom  I  was 
acquainted. 

I  had  witnessed  many  terrible  scenes  of  war  and  revo- 
lution in  the  Old  World,  but  there  at  least  the}'  were  visi- 
ble enemies  of  flesh  and  blood  with  whom  people  had  to 
contend ;  but  here  were  unknown,  terrific,  incalculable 
forces  at  work,  of  whose  nature  they  had  only  the  vaguest 
idea.  The  shocks  went  on,  sometimes  stronger,  sometimes 
weaker,  and  with  very  brief  intervals,  until,  by  the  even- 
ing of  Easter  Monday,  one  hundred  and  twenty  had  been 
counted,  and  they  were  accompanied  all  the  time  by  hollow 

31* 


366  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Scherzer 

thunder  and  detonations,  as  if  a  tremendous  battle  were 
raging  beneath  the  earth.  People  now  abandoned  all 
thoughts  of  their  property,  and  sought  only  to  save  their 
lives,  for,  with  the  continual  oscillations  of  the  ground  in  all 
directions,  rents  and  chasms  were  opening  on  it,  so  that  no 
one  knew  whether  it  might  not  the  next  moment  yawn 
beneath  their  feet  and  engulf  every  living  soul.  After 
every  new  shock  I  noticed  that  the  people  changed  their 
prayers  and  the  names  of  the  saints  they  were  invoking ; 
but  whether  the  saints  did  not  hear,  or  could  not  or  would 
not  help  them,  the  subterranean  artillery  continued  to 
bellow  forth  its  fearful  salvos  with  unmitigated  fury. 

Towards  one  in  the  morning,  one  of  my  acquaintances 
came  climbing  over  the  ruined  wall  of  our  court-yard  to  in- 
quire after  me,  as  he  knew  I  was  unwell ;  and  he  then  pro- 
posed to  me  to  take  a  walk  through  the  town  by  moonlight. 
We  took  the  direction  of  the  market-place,  where  the 
Cathedral  stood  ;  and  from  what  I  saw  I  can  truly  say  that 
the  whole  city  was  destroyed,  for  I  did  not  see  a  single  house 
uninjured.  Those  that  were  not  lying  in  ruin  had  so  many 
rents,  and  damages  of  various  kinds,  as  to  be  quite  unin- 
habitable. The  Cathedral — an  elegant  rather  than  im- 
posing building — had  escaped  with  less  damage  than  many 
other  churches  ;  but  the  clock-tower  had  fallen,  the  portal 
was  lying  in  fragments,  and  the  walls  were  gaping  open  iu 
two  or  three  places. 

The  interior  of  the  Franciscan  convent,  the  door  of 
which  stood  wide  open,  presented  a  sad  picture  of  desolation. 
So  many  stones  had  fallen  from  the  roof  and  such  large 
portions  of  the  walls,  that  most  of  the  altars  lay  scattered 
in  fragments,  or  were  covered  with  rubbish  ;  several  of  the 
colossal  figures  of  saints  had  fallen  from  the  niches,  and 
lay  with  their  finery  all  covered  with  dust  and  stones;  but 
the  people,  who  the  day  before  had  been  carrying  them 


Schebzer]    THE  DESTRUCTION  OF  SAN  SALVADOR.     367 

about  in  triumph,  now  did  not  trouble  themselves  any 
more  about  them :  everybody  was  occupied  in  saving  his 
life,  or,  if  possible,  his  most  valuable  possessions. 

Of  the  new  university  buildings  only  one  wing  was  left 
standing :  it  was  the  one  containing  the  clock-tower,  and 
in  this  the  clock  was  still  going  on,  regularly  striking  the 
hours.  The  roof  of  the  Episcopal  Palace  had  fallen  in, 
and  some  stones  had  struck  the  sacred  head  of  the  bishop 
with  no  more  ceremony  than  had  been  shown  towards  our 
profane  pates,  though  this  bishop  was  Don  Tomaso  Saldana, 
a  man  most  justly  held  in  high  repute  for  the  excellence  of 
his  life.  Much  injury  had  also  been  sustained  by  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  Eepublic,  Senor  Duenas,  who  was  originally  a 
monk,  but  afterwards  a  lawyer  and  statesman,  and  perhaps 
the  man  of  the  greatest  capacity  in  the  whole  country. 

The  streets  were  empty  and  desolate,  and  we  had  to 
scramble  over  heaps  of  ruins  to  get  through  tbem  :  not  a 
creature  was  to  be  seen  but  a  few  sentinels,  and  in  the  in- 
terior of  the  houses  also  there  reigned  the  stillness  of  the 
grave.  Even  in  the  broadest  streets  the  people  did  not 
think  themselves  safe,  and  rich  and  poor  were  huddled 
together  indiscriminately  in  the  great  square,  praying,  sing- 
ing, and  screaming  whenever  a  new  shock  startled  them 
with  its  terrible  explosion ;  but  fortunately,  in  the  midst 
of  all  this,  the  new  President,  Don  Jose  Maria  San  Martin, 
showed  much  presence  of  mind,  and  gave  his  orders  for  the 
preservation  of  property  with  much  composure. 

[Fortunately,  the  previous  warning  shock  had  driven  most  of  the 
people  from  their  houses,  a  chance  which  saved  most  of  their  lives, 
though  several  hundreds  were  found  buried  in  the  ruins.] 

The  rising  sun  of  Easter  Monday  morning  shone  on  a 
mournful  spectacle,  and  the  few  people  who  were  left  in 
the   town  wandered   about   looking   pale    and    worn,   the 


368  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Schkrzer 

women  with  a  total  disregard  of  their  dress  very  unusual 
with  them.  Among  these  I  noticed  the  wife  of  the  Presi- 
dent, who  was  entreating  him  to  fly,  like  so  many  others, 
from  the  scene  of  danger;  but  he  remained  faithful  to 
duty,  and  was  exerting  himself  vigorously  to  keep  order. 
He  had  established  a  kind  of  court-martial  under  a  tent  in 
the  University  Square,  before  which  every  thief  caught  in 
the  act  was  brought,  and,  on  the  evidence  of  two  witnesses 
against  him,  immediately  shot. 

Since  the  ruins  of  San  Salvador  could  now  no  longer 
offer  me  a  shelter,  I  set  off  on  foot,  at  an  early  hour,  to- 
wards the  hacienda  of  Mr.  Kronmeier,  and  on  the  way  felt 
four  more  shocks,  the  strongest  of  which  lasted  six  or 
seven  seconds,  and  was  accompanied  by  violent  oscillations 
of  the  ground,  and  detonations  like  the  salvos  from  Vesu- 
vius, when,  in  the  lesser  eruptions,  you  stand  near  the 
crater  while  stones  are  being  thrown  up.  I  was  now  more 
than  ever  convinced  that  the  centre  of  the  subterranean 
action  was  very  near,  and  that  the  explosive  steam  and 
glowing  masses  of  the  interior  were  seeking  a  new  outlet. 

The  country-house  of  Mr.  Kronmeier  was  still  standing, 
but  its  thick  walls  had  been  rent  in  so  many  places  that  it 
offered  only  an  uncomfortable  and  insecure  shelter.  From 
the  steep  cliffs  on  the  left  of  the  river's  bed  masses  of 
rock  and  earth  had  fallen,  and  the  hot  springs  at  the  foot 
of  the  hill  had  ceased  to  flow ;  the  mill-stream  was  dry ; 
one  of  the  cocoa-palms  was  prostrate,  and  the  whole  land- 
scape, so  lovely  before,  had  a  dejected  and  melancholy  as- 
pect, increased,  of  course,  by  the  general  flight  of  the  in- 
habitants of  the  district.  .  .  .  The  shocks  still  went  on, 
though  they  were  not  so  frequent  as  on  the  two  Easter 
nights ;  and,  as  the  subterranean  forces  were  evidently 
struggling  for  a  new  vent,  no  one  could  feel  himself  safe 
within  the  sphere  of  their  operations. 


Frotjde]     SCENES  IN   TRINIDAD  AND  JAMAICA.  369 

Many  of  the  people  whom  we  met,  however,  were  leaving 
the  place,  though  not  so  much  for  any  reason  of  this  kind 
as  on  account  of  a  prophecy  of  the  worthy  bishop,  "  that 
before  the  new  moon  the  whole  district  of  San  Salvador, 
with  the  ruins  of  the  city,  would  be  swallowed  up."  But, 
unluckily  for  the  bishop's  character  as  a  prophet,  the  pre- 
diction was  not  fulfilled. 


SCENES  IN  TRINIDAD  AND  JAMAICA. 

JAMES  ANTHONY  FROUDE. 

[Froude  is  scarcely  known  as  a  traveller,  his  reputation  being 
founded  in  another  field  of  literature,  that  of  history.  Yet  he  is  the 
author  of  two  works  of  travel, — "  Oceana,"  from  which  we  have  else- 
where given  a  selection,  and  "The  English  in  the  West  Indies," 
from  which  our  present  selection  is  derived.  He  visited  most  of  the 
British  West  Indies,  and  has  given  picturesque  descriptions  of  them 
all.     We  append  some  extracts  from  his  account  of  Trinidad.] 

Trinidad  is  the  largest,  after  Jamaica,  of  the  British 
West  Indian  Islands,  and  the  hottest  absolutely  after  none 
of  them.  It  is  square-shaped,  and,  I  suppose,  was  once  a 
part  of  South  America.  The  Orinoco  Eiver  and  the  ocean- 
currents  between  them  have  cut  a  channel  between  it  and 
the  mainland,  which  has  expanded  into  a  vast  shallow  lake 
known  as  the  Gulf  of  Paria.  The  two  entrances  by  which 
the  gulf  is  approached  are  narrow,  and  are  called  bocas,  or 
mouths, — one  the  Dragon's  Mouth,  the  other  the  Serpent's. 
When  the  Orinoco  is  in  flood  the  water  is  brackish,  and  the 
brilliant  violet  hue  of  the  Caribbean  Sea  is  changed  to  a 
dirty  yellow;  but  the  harbor  which  is  so  formed  would 
hold  all  the  commercial  navies  of  the  world,  and  seems 

!•— y 


370  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Froudb 

formed  by  nature  to  be  the  depot  one  day  of  an  enormous 
trade. 

[Landing  was  made  at  Port  of  Spain,  the  capital,  so  called  when 
Trinidad  was  a  Spanish  possession,  and  Mr.  Froude  found  pleasant 
quarters  in  the  house  of  a  friend.] 

The  town  has  between  thirty  and  forty  thousand  people 
living  in  it,  and  the  rain  and  the  Johnny  crows  [a  black 
vulture  that  acts  as  scavenger]  between  them  keep  off  pes- 
tilence. Outside  is  a  large  savanna  or  park,  where  the 
villas  are  of  the  successful  men  of  business.  One  of  these 
belonged  to  my  host,  a  cool,  airy  habitation,  with  open 
doors  and  windows,  overhanging  portico,  and  rooms  into 
which  all  the  winds  might  enter,  but  not  the  sun.  A  gar- 
den in  front  was  shut  off  from  the  savanna  by  a  fence  of 
bananas.  At  the  gate  stood  as  sentinel  a  cabbage-palm  a 
hundred  feet  high ;  on  the  lawn  mangoes,  oranges,  papaws, 
and  bread-fruit-trees,  strange  to  look  at,  but  luxuriantly 
shady.  Before  the  door  was  a  tree  of  good  dimensions, 
whose  name  I  have  forgotten,  the  stem  and  branches  of 

which  were  hung  with  orchids  which  G had  collected 

in  the  woods. 

The  borders  were  blazing  with  varieties  of  the  single 
hibiscus,  crimson,  pink,  and  fawn-color,  the  largest  that  I 
had  ever  seen.  The  average  diameter  of  each  single  flower 
was  from  seven  to  eight  inches.  Wind  streamed  freely 
through  the  long  sitting-room,  loaded  with  the  perfume  of 
orange-trees ;  on  table  and  in  bookcase  the  hand  and  mind 
visible  of  a  gifted  and  cultivated  man.  The  particular 
room  assigned  to  myself  would  have  been  delightful,  but 
that  my  possession  of  it  was  disputed,  even  in  daylight, 
by  mosquitoes,  who  for  blood-thirsty  ferocity  had  a  bad 
pre-eminence  over  the  worst  that  I  had  ever  met  with 
elsewhere.     I  killed  one  who  was  at  work  upon  me,  and 


Froude]    SCENES  IN  TRINIDAD  AND  JAMAICA.  371 

examined  him  through  a  glass.  Bewick,  with  the  inspira- 
tion of  genius,  had  drawn  his  exact  likeness  as  the  devil, — 
a  long  black  stroke  for  a  body,  a  nick  for  a  neck,  horns  on 
the  head,  and  a  beak  for  a  mouth,  spindle  arms,  and  longer 
spindle  legs,  two  pointed  wings,  and  a  tail.  Line  for  line, 
there  the  figure  was  before  me,  which  in  the  unforge table 
tail-piece  is  driving  the  thief  under  the  gallows,  and  I  had 
a  melancholy  satisfaction  in  identifying  him.  I  had  been 
warned  to  be  on  the  lookout  for  scorpions,  centipedes, 
jiggers,  and  land -crabs,  who  would  bite  me  if  I  walked 
slipperless  over  the  floor  in  the  dark.  Of  these  I  met 
with  none,  either  there  or  anywhere,  but  the  mosquito  of 
Trinidad  is  enough  by  himself.  For  malice,  mockery,  and 
venom  of  tooth  and  trumpet  he  is  without  a  match  in  the 
world. 

From  mosquitoes,  however,  one  could  seek  safety  in  to- 
bacco-smoke, or  hide  behind  the  lace  curtains  with  which 
every  bed  is  provided.  Otherwise  I  found  every  provision 
to  make  life  pass  deliciously.  To  walk  is  difficult  in  a 
damp,  steamy  atmosphere,  hotter  during  daylight  than  the 
hottest  forcing-house  in  Kew.  .  .  .  Beautiful,  however,  it 
was  beyond  dispute.  Before  sunset  a  carriage  took  us 
around  the  savanna.  Tropical  human  beings,  like  trop- 
ical birds,  are  fond  of  fine  colors,  especially  black  human 
beings,  and  the  park  was  as  brilliant  as  Kensington  Gar- 
dens on  a  Sunday.  At  nightfall  the  scene  became  even 
more  wonderful,  air,  grass,  and  trees  being  alight  with  fire- 
flies, each  as  brilliant  as  an  English  glow-worm.  The 
palm-tree  at  our  own  gate  stood  like  a  ghostly  sentinel 
clear  against  the  starry  sky,  a  single  long  dead  frond 
hanging  from  below  the  coronet  of  leaves  and  clashing 
against  the  stem  as  it  was  blown  to  and  fro  by  the  night- 
wind,  while  long-winged  bats  swept  and  whistled  over  our 
heads. 


372  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Froude 

[The  governor's  residence  and  the  botanical  gardens  next  call  for 
attention.] 

The  "  Residence"  stands  in  a  fine  situation,  in  large 
grounds  of  its  own,  at  the  foot  of  the  mountains.  It  has 
been  lately  built,  regardless  of  expense,  for  the  colony  is 
rich,  and  likes  to  do  things  handsomely.  On  the  lawn, 
under  the  windows,  stood  a  tree  which  was  entirely  new  to 
me,  an  enormous  ceiba  or  silk-cotton-tree,  umbrella-shaped, 
fifty  yards  in  diameter,  the  huge  and  buttressed  trunk 
throwing  out  branches  so  massive  that  one  wondered  how 
any  woody  fibre  could  bear  the  strain  of  their  weight,  the 
boughs  twisting  in  and  out  till  they  made  a  roof  over 
one's  head,  which  was  hung  with  every  fantastic  variety 
of  parasites. 

Vast  as  the  ceibas  were  which  I  saw  afterwards  in  other 
parts  of  the  West  Indies,  this  was  the  largest.  The  ceiba 
is  the  sacred  tree  of  the  negro,  the  temple  of  Jumbi,  the 
proper  house  of  Obeah.  To  cut  down  one  is  impious.  No 
black  in  his  right  mind  would  wound  even  the  bark.  A 
Jamaica  police  officer  told  me  that  if  a  ceiba  had  to  be  re- 
moved, the  men  who  used  the  axe  were  well  dosed  with 
rum  to  give  them  courage  to  defy  the  devil. 

From  Government  House  we  strolled  into  the  adjoining 
Botanical  Gardens.  I  had  long  heard  of  the  wonders  of 
these.  The  reality  went  beyond  description.  Plants  with 
which  I  was  familiar  as  shrubs  in  English  conservatories 
were  here  expanded  into  forest  giants,  with  hundreds  of 
others  of  which  we  cannot  raise  even  Liliputian  imitations. 
Let  man  be  what  he  will,  nature  in  the  tropics  is  always 
grand.  Palms  were  growing  in  the  greatest  luxuriance,  of 
every  known  species,  from  the  cabbage  towering  up  into 
the  sky  to  the  fan-palm  of  the  desert  whose  fronds  are 
reservoirs  of  water. 

Of  exogenous   trees   the  majority  were  leguminous   in 


Frottde]     SCENES  IN  TRINIDAD  AND  JAMAICA.  373 

some  shape  or  other,  forming  flowers  like  a  pea  or  vetch 
and  hanging  their  seeds  in  pods ;  yet  in  shape  and  foliage 
they  distanced  far  the  most  splendid  ornaments  of  an 
English  park.  They  had  Old-World  names  with  characters 
wholly  different:  cedars  which  were  not  conifers,  almonds 
which  were  no  relations  of  peaches,  and  gum-trees  as  un- 
like eucalypti  as  one  tree  can  be  unlike  another. 

Again,  you  saw  ferns  which  you  seemed  to  recognize  till 
some  unexpected  anomaly  startled  you  out  of  your  mistake. 
A  gigantic  Portugal  laurel,  or  what  I  took  for  such,  was 
throwing  out  a  flower  direct  from  the  stem  like  a  cactus. 
Grandest  among  them  all,  and  happily  in  full  bloom,  was 
the  sacred  tree  of  Burmah,  the  Amherslia  nobilis,  at  a  dis- 
tance like  a  splendid  horse-chestnut,  with  crimson  blossoms 
in  pendant  bunches,  each  separate  flower  in  the  convolution 
of  its  parts  exactly  counterfeiting  a  large  orchid,  with 
which  it  had  not  the  faintest  affinity,  the  Amherstia  being 
leguminous  like  the  rest. 

Underneath,  and  dispersed  among  the  imperial  beauties, 
were  spice-trees,  orange-trees,  coffee  plants,  and  cocoa,  or 
again,  shrubs  with  special  virtues  or  vices.  "We  had  to  be 
careful  what  we  were  about,  for  fruits  of  fairest  appear- 
ance were  tempting  us  all  round.  My  companion  was  pre- 
paring to  eat  something  to  encourage  me  to  do  the  same. 
A  gardener  stopped  him  in  time.  It  was  nux  vomica.  I 
was  straying  along  a  less  frequented  path,  conscious  of  a 
heavy  vaporous  odor,  in  which  I  might  have  fainted  had  I 
remained  exposed  to  it.     I  was  close  to  a  manchinoel-tree. 

Prettiest  and  freshest  were  the  nutmegs,  which  had  a 
glen  all  to  themselves  and  perfumed  the  surrounding  air. 
In  Trinidad  and  in  Grenada  I  believe  the  nutmegs  are  the 
largest  that  are  known,  being  from  thirty  to  forty  feet 
high ;  leaves  brilliant  green,  something  like  the  leaves  of 
an  orange,  but  extremely  delicato  and  thin,  folded  one  over 

32 


374  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Froude 

the  other,  the  lowest  branches  sweeping  to  the  ground  till 
the  whole  tree  forms  a  natural  bower,  which  is  proof 
against  a  tropical  shower.  The  fragrance  attracts  moths 
and  flies ;  not  mosquitoes,  who  prefer  a  ranker  atmosphere. 
I  saw  a  pair  of  butterflies  the  match  of  which  I  do  not 
remember  even  in  any  museum,  dark  blue  shot  with  green 
like  a  peacock's  neck,  and  the  size  of  English  bats.  I  asked 
a  black  boy  to  catch  me  one.  "  That  sort  no  let  catchee, 
massa,"  he  said ;  and  I  was  penitently  glad  to  hear  it. 

Among  the  wonders  of  the  garden  are  the  vines,  as  they 
call  them,  that  is,  the  creepers  of  various  kinds  that  climb 
about  the  other  trees.  Standing  in  an  open  space  there 
was  what  once  had  been  a  mighty  "  cedar."  It  was  now 
dead,  only  the  trunk  and  dead  branches  remaining,  and 
bad  been  murdered  by  a  "  fig" -vine  which  had  started  from 
the  root,  twined  itself  like  a  python  round  the  stem, 
strangled  out  the  natural  life,  and  spreading  out  in  all 
directions,  had  covered  boughs  and  twigs  with  a  foliage  not 
its  own.  So  far  the  "vine"  had  done  no  worse  than  ivy 
does  at  home,  but  there  was  one  feature  about  it  which 
puzzled  me  altogether.  The  lowest  of  the  original  branches 
of  the  cedar  were  about  twenty  feet  above  our  heads. 
From  these  in  four  or  five  places  the  parasite  had  let  fall 
shoots,  perhaps  an  inch  in  diameter,  which  descended  to 
within  a  foot  of  the  ground  and  then  suddenly,  without 
touching  that  or  anything,  formed  a  bight  like  a  rope, 
went  straight  up  again,  caught  hold  of  the  branch  from 
which  they  started,  and  so  hung  suspended  exactly  as  an 
ordinary  swing. 

In  three  distinctly  perfect  instances  the  "vine"  had 
executed  this  singular  evolution,  while  at  the  extremity  of 
one  of  the  longest  and  tallest  branches  high  up  in  the  air 
it  had  made  a  clean  leap  of  fifteen  feet  without  visible 
help  and  had  caught  hold  of  another  tree  adjoining  on  the 


Froude]     SCENES  IN  TRINIDAD  AND  JAMAICA.  375 

same  level.  These  pei'formances  were  so  inexplicable  that 
I  conceived  that  they  must  have  been  a  freak  of  the 
gardener's.  I  was  mistaken.  He  said  that  at  particular 
times  in  the  year  the  fig-vine  threw  out  fine  tendrils  which 
hung  downward  like  strings.  The  strongest  among  them 
would  lay  hold  of  two  or  three  others  and  climb  up  upon 
them,  the  rest  would  die  and  drop  off,  while  the  successful 
one,  having  found  support  for  itself  above,  would  remain 
swinging  in  the  air  and  thicken  and  prosper.  The  leap  he 
explained  by  the  wind.  I  retained  a  suspicion  that  the 
wind  had  been  assisted  by  some  aspiring  energy  in  the 
plant  itself,  so  bold  it  was  and  so  ambitious. 

But  the  wonders  of  the  garden  were  thrown  into  the 
shade  by  the  cottage  at  the  extreme  angle  of  it,  where 
Kingsley*  had  been  the  guest  of  Sir  Arthur  Gordon.  It 
is  a  long  straggling  wooden  building  with  deep  verandas 
lying  in  a  hollow  overshadowed  by  trees,  with  views  open- 
ing out  into  the  savanna  through  arches  formed  by  clumps 
of  tall  bamboos,  the  canes  growing  thick  in  circular  masses 
and  shooting  up  a  hundred  feet  into  the  air,  where  they 
meet  and  form  frames  for  the  landscape,  peculiar  and  even 
picturesque  when  there  are  not  too  many  of  them.  These 
bamboos  were  Kingsley's  special  delight,  as  he  had  never 
seen  the  like  of  them  elsewhere.  The  room  in  which  he 
wrote  is  still  shown,  and  the  gallery  where  ho  walked  up 
and  down  with  his  long  pipe.  His  memory  is  cherished 
in  the  island  as  of  some  singular  and  beautiful  presence 
which  still  hovers  about  the  scenes  which  so  delighted 
him  in  the  closing  evening  of  his  own  life. 

[Happiness  makes  its  home  with  the  negroes  of  Trinidad,  whom 
nature  keeps  in  pristine  idleness.  They  have  little  to  do  other  than  to 
pull  and  eat.] 

♦Charles  Kingsley,  who  wrote  here  his  "  At  Last,"  descriptive  of 
tropical  scenes. 


376  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Froudb 

In  Trinidad  there  are  eighteen  thousand  freeholders, 
most  of  them  negroes  and  representatives  of  the  old  slaves. 
Their  cabins  are  spread  along  the  road  on  either  side,  over- 
hung with  bread-fruit-trees,  tamarinds,  calabash-trees,  out 
of  which  they  make  their  cups  and  water  jugs ;  the  luscious 
granadilla  climbs  among  the  branches;  plantains  throw 
their  cool  shade  over  the  doors;  oranges  and  limes  and 
citrons  perfume  the  air,  and  droop  their  boughs  under  the 
weight  of  their  golden  burdens.  There  were  yams  in  the 
gardens  and  cows  in  the  paddocks,  and  cocoa-bushes  loaded 
with  purple  or  yellow  pods.  Children  played  about  in 
swarms  in  happy  idleness  and  abundance,  with  schools,  too, 
at  intervals,  and  an  occasional  Catholic  chapel,  for  the 
old  religion  prevails  in  Trinidad,  never  having  been  dis- 
turbed. 

What  form  could  human  life  assume  more  charming  than 
that  which  we  were  now  looking  on?  Once  more,  the 
earth  does  not  contain  any  peasantry  so  well  off,  so  well 
cared  for,  so  happy,  so  sleek  and  contented  as  the  sons  and 
daughters  of  the  emancipated  slaves  in  the  English  West 
Indian  Islands.  Sugar  may  fail  the  planter,  but  cocoa, 
which  each  peasant  can  grow  with  small  effort  for  himself, 
does  not  fail  and  will  not.  He  may  "  better  his  condition," 
if  he  has  any  such  ambition,  without  stirring  beyond  his 
own  ground,  and  so  far,  perhaps,  his  ambition  may  extend, 
if  it  is  not  turned  off  upon  politics. 

Even  the  necessary  evils  of  the  tropics  are  not  many  or 
serious.  His  skin  is  proof  against  mosquitoes.  There  are 
snakes  in  Trinidad  as  there  were  snakes  in  Eden.  "  Plenty 
snakes,"  said  one  of  them  who  was  at  work  in  his  garden, 
"plenty  snakes,  but  no  bitee."  As  to  costume,  he  would 
prefer  the  costume  of  innocence  if  he  were  allowed.  Clothes 
in  such  a  climate  are  superfluous  for  warmth,  and  to  the 
minds  of  the  negroes,  unconscious  as  they  are  of  shame, 


Froude]     SCENES  IN  TRINIDAD  AND  JAMAICA.  377 

superfluous  for  decency.  European  prejudice,  however, 
still  passes  for  something;  the  women  have  a  love  for 
finery,  which  would  prevent  a  complete  return  to  African 
simplicity ;  and  in  the  islands  which  are  still  French,  and 
in  those  like  Trinidad,  which  the  French  originally  colo- 
nized, they  dress  themselves  with  real  taste.  They  hide 
their  wool  in  red  or  yellow  handkerchiefs,  gracefully 
twisted;  or  perhaps  it  is  not  only  to  conceal  the  wool. 
Columbus  found  the  Carib  women  of  the  island  dressing 
their  hair  in  the  same  fashion. 

The  water- works,  when  we  reached  them,  were  even 
more  beautiful  than  we  had  been  taught  to  expect.  A  dam 
has  been  driven  across  a  perfectly  limpid  mountain  stream  ; 
a  wide  open  area  has  been  cleared,  levelled,  strengthened 
with  masonry,  and  divided  into  deep  basins  or  reservoirs, 
through  which  the  current  continually  flows.  Hedges  of 
hibiscus  shine  with  crimson  blossoms.  Innumerable  hum- 
ming-birds glance  to  and  fro  among  the  trees  and  shrubs, 
and  gardens  and  ponds  are  overhung  by  magnificent  bam- 
boos, which  so  astonished  me  by  their  size  that  I  inquired  if 
their  height  had  been  measured.  One  of  them,  I  was  told, 
had  lately  fallen,  and  was  found  to  be  one  hundred  and 
thirty  feet  long.  A  single  drawback  only  there  was  to 
this  enchanting  spot,  and  it  was  again  the  snakes.  There 
are  huge  pythons  in  Trinidad  which  are  supposed  to  have 
crossed  the  straits  from  the  continent.  Some  washer- 
women at  work  in  the  stream  had  been  disturbed  a  few 
days  before  our  visit  by  one  of  these  monsters,  who  had 
come  down  to  see  what  they  were  about.  They  are  harm- 
less, but  trying  to  the  nerves. 

[We  shall  conclude  this  selection  with  a  leap  from  Trinidad  to 
Jamaica,  and  the  relation  of  an  adventure  experienced  by  our  author 
in  that  island.  He  was  on  his  way  back  from  an  excursion  into  the 
island.] 

32* 


378  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Frottdb 

The  train  from  Porus  brought  us  back  to  Kingston  an 
hour  before  sunset.  The  evening  was  lovely,  even  for 
Jamaica.  The  sea-breeze  had  fallen,  the  land-breeze  had 
not  risen,  and  the  dust  lay  harmless  on  road  and  hedge. 
Cherry  Garden,  to  which  I  was  bound,  was  but  seven  miles 
distant  by  the  direct  road,  so  1  calculated  on  a  delightful 
drive  which  would  bring  me  to  my  destination  before  dark. 

So  I  calculated ;  but  alas !  for  human  expectation.  I 
engaged  a  "  buggy"  at  the  station,  with  a  decent-looking 
conductor,  who  assured  me  that  he  knew  the  way  to 
Cherry  Garden  as  well  as  to  his  own  door.  His  horse 
looked  starved  and  miserable.  He  insisted  that  there  was 
not  another  in  Kingston  that  was  more  than  a  match  for 
it.  We  set  out,  and  for  the  first  two  or  three  miles  we 
went  on  well  enough,  conversing  amicably  on  things  in 
general.  But  it  so  happened  that  it  was  market  day.  The 
road  was  thronged  with  women  plodding  along  with  their 
baskets  on  their  heads,  a  single  male  on  a  donkey  to  each 
detachment  of  them,  carrying  nothing,  like  an  officer  with 
a  detachment  of  soldiers. 

Foolish  indignation  rose  in  me,  and  I  asked  my  friend  if 
he  was  not  ashamed  of  seeing  the  poor  creatures  toiling  so 
cruelly,  while  their  lords  and  masters  amused  themselves. 
I  appealed  to  his  feelings  as  a  man,  as  if  it  were  likely  that 
he  had  got  any.  The  wretch  only  laughed.  "  Ah,  massa," 
he  said,  with  his  tongue  in  his  cheek,  "  women  do  women's 
work,  men  do  men's  work, — all  right."  "  And  what  is  men's 
work?"  I  asked.  Instead  of  answering  he  went  on, 
"  Look  at  they  women,  massa, — how  they  laugh,  how  happy 
they  be !     Nobody  more  happy  than  black  woman,  massa." 

I  would  not  let  him  off.  I  pricked  into  him,  till  he  got 
excited  too,  and  we  argued  and  contradicted  each  other, 
till  at  last  the  horse,  finding  he  was  not  attended  to,  went 
his  own  way  and  that  was  a  wrong  one.     Between  Kings- 


Froudk]     SCENES  IN  TRINIDAD  AND  JAMAICA.  379 

ton  and  our  destination  there  is  a  deep  sandy  flat,  over- 
grown with  brush  and  penetrated  in  all  directions  with 
labyrinthine  lanes.  Into  this  we  had  wandered  in  our 
quarrels,  and  neither  of  us  knew  where  we  were.  The  sand 
was  loose ;  our  miserable  beast  was  above  his  fetlocks  in 
it,  and  was  visibly  drooping  under  his  efforts  to  drag  us 
along  even  at  a  walk. 

The  sun  went  down.  The  tropic  twilight  is  short.  The 
evening  star  shone  out  in  the  west,  and  the  crescent  moon 
over  our  heads.  My  man  said  this  and  said  that ;  every 
word  was  a  lie,  for  he  had  lost  his  way  and  would  not 
allow  it.  We  saw  a  light  through  some  trees.  I  sent  him 
to  inquire.  We  were  directed  one  way  and  another  way, 
every  way  except  the  right  one.  We  emerged  at  last  upon 
a  hard  road  of  some  kind.  The  stars  told  me  the  general 
direction.  We  came  to  cottages  where  the  name  of  Cherry 
Garden  was  known,  and  we  were  told  that  it  was  two 
miles  off;  but  alas !  again  there  were  two  roads  to  it, — a 
short  and  good  one  and  a  long  and  bad  one,  and  they  sent 
us  by  the  last.  There  was  a  steep  hill  to  climb,  for  the 
house  is  eight  hundred  feet  above  the  sea.  The  horse 
could  hardly  crawl,  and  my  "  nigger"  went  to  work  to 
flog  him  to  let  off  his  own  ill-humor.  I  had  to  stop  that 
by  force,  and  at  last,  as  it  grew  too  dark  to  see  the  road 
under  the  trees,  I  got  out  and  walked,  leaving  him  to 
follow  at  a  foot's  pace.  The  night  was  lovely.  I  began 
to  think  that  we  should  have  to  camp  out  after  all,  and 
that  it  would  be  no  great  hardship. 

It  was  like  the  gloaming  of  a  June  night  in  England,  the 
daylight  in  the  open  spots  not  entirely  gone,  and  mixing 
softly  with  the  light  of  moon  and  planet  and  the  flashing 
of  the  fireflies.  I  plodded  on,  mile  after  mile,  and  Cherry 
Garden  still  receded  to  one  mile  farther.  We  came  to  a 
gate  of  some  consequence.    The  outline  of  a  large  mansion 


380  HALF-HOURS   OF  TRAVEL.  [Frottde 

was  visible,  with  gardens  round  it.  I  concluded  that  we 
had  arrived,  and  was  feeling  for  the  latch  when  the  forms 
of  a  lady  and  gentleman  appeared  against  the  sky  who 
were  strolling  in  the  grounds.  They  directed  me  still  up- 
ward, with  the  mile  which  never  diminished  still  to  be 
travelled. 

Like  myself,  our  weary  animal  had  gathered  hopes  from 
the  sight  of  the  gate.  He  had  again  to  drag  on  as  he 
could.  His  owner  was  subdued  and  silent,  and  obeyed 
whatever  order  I  gave  him.  The  trees  now  closed  over  us 
so  thick  that  I  could  see  nothing.  Vainly  I  repented  of 
my  unnecessary  philanthropy,  which  had  been  the  cause 
of  the  mischief;  what  had  I  to  do  with  black  women,  or 
white  either,  for  that  matter  ?  I  had  to  feel  the  way  with 
my  feet  and  a  stick.  I  came  to  a  place  where  the  lane 
again  divided.  I  tried  the  neai'est  turn.  I  found  a  trench 
across  it  three  feet  deep,  which  had  been  cut  by  a  torrent. 
This  was  altogether  beyond  the  capacity  of  our  unfortunate 
animal,  so  I  took  the  other  boldly,  prepared,  if  it  proved 
wrong,  to  bivouac  till  morning  with  my  "nigger,"  and  go 
on  with  my  argument. 

Happily  there  was  no  need;  we  came  again  on  a  gate 
which  led  into  a  field.  There  was  a  drive  across  it  and 
wire  fences.  Finally  lights  began  to  glimmer  and  dogs  to 
bark :  we  were  at  the  real  Cherry  Garden  at  last,  and 
found  the  whole  household  alarmed  for  what  had  become 
of  us. 

I  could  not  punish  my  misleader  by  stinting  his  fare, 
for  I  knew  that  I  had  only  myself  to  blame.  He  was  an 
honest  fellow  after  all.  In  the  disturbance  of  my  mind 
I  left  a  rather  valuable  umbrella  in  his  buggy.  He  dis- 
covered it  after  he  had  gone,  and  had  grace  enough  to  see 
that  it  was  returned  to  me.  My  entertainers  were  much 
amused  at  the  cause  of  the  misadventure,  perhaps  unique 


Kinqsley]    THE  HIGH  WOODS   OF  TRINIDAD.  381 

of  its  kind:  to  address  homilies  to  the  black  people  on  the 
treatment  of  their  wives  not  being  the  fashion  in  those 
parts. 


THE  HIGH  WOODS  OF  TRINIDAD. 

CHARLES  KINGSLEY. 

[The  skilled  and  popular  novelist  to  whom  we  owe  our  present 
selection  seems  to  have  entertained  for  years  a  vivid  wish  to  see  the 
glory  of  the  tropics,  the  achievement  of  which  desire  is  put  upon 
record  in  "At  Last,"  the  work  from  which  we  quote.  In  his  "  West- 
ward Ho"  he  had  years  before  given  a  warmly-delineated  imaginary 
picture  of  the  tropics,  but  waited  for  years  afterwards  to  see  these  scenes 
in  their  picturesque  reality.  He  tells  well  the  story  of  the  tropical 
"High  Woods."] 

And  now  we  set  ourselves  to  walk  to  the  depot,  where 
the  government  timber  was  being  felled,  and  the  real  "High 
Woods"  to  be  seen  at  last.  Our  path  lay  along  the  half- 
finished  tramway,  through  the  first  cacao  plantation  I  had 
ever  seen,  though,  I  am  happy  to  say,  not  the  last  by  many 
a  one. 

Imagine  an  orchard  of  nut-trees,  with  very  large,  long 
leaves.  Each  tree  is  trained  to  a  single  stem.  Among 
them,  especially  near  the  path,  grow  plants  of  the  common 
hot-house  Datura,  its  long  white  flowers  perfuming  all  tho 
air.  They  have  been  planted  as  landmarks,  to  prevent  the 
3'oung  cacao-trees  being  cut  over  when  the  weeds  are 
cleared.  Among  them,  too,  at  some  twenty  yards  apart, 
are  the  stems  of  a  tree  looking  much  like  an  ash,  save  that 
it  is  inclined  to  throw  out  broad  spurs  like  a  ceiba.  You 
look  up  and  see  that  they  are  Bois  immortelles,  fifty  or 
sixty  feet  high,  one  blaze  of  vermilion  against  the  blue  sky. 


382  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Kinoslkt 

Those  who  have  stood  under  a  Lombardy  poplar  in  early- 
spring  and  looked  up  at  its  buds  and  twigs  showing  like 
pink  coral  against  the  blue  sky,  and  have  felt  the  beauty 
of  the  sight,  can  imagine  faintly — but  only  faintly — the 
beauty  of  these  "madres  de  cacao," — cacao  mothers,  as  they 
call  them  here, — because  their  shade  is  supposed  to  shelter 
the  cacao-trees,  while  the  dew  collected  by  their  leaves 
keeps  the  ground  below  always  damp. 

I  turned  my  dazzled  eyes  down  again  and  looked  into 
the  delicious  darkness  under  the  bushes.  The  ground  was 
brown  with  fallen  leaves,  or  green  with  ferns;  and  here 
and  there  a  slant  ray  of  sunlight  pierced  through  the 
shade,  and  flashed  on  the  brown  leaves,  and  on  a  gray 
stem,  and  on  a  crimson  jewel  which  hung  on  the  stem, 
and  there,  again,  on  a  bright  orange  one ;  and  as  my  eye 
became  accustomed  to  the  darkness,  I  saw  that  the  stems 
and  larger  boughs  far  away  into  the  wood  were  dotted 
with  pods,  crimson,  or  yellow,  or  green,  of  the  size  and 
shape  of  a  small  hand  closed  with  the  fingers  straight  out. 
They  were  the  cacao-pods,  full  of  what  are  called  at  home 
cacao-nibs.  And  there  lay ;  heap  of  them,  looking  like  a 
heap  of  gay  flowers ;  and  by  them  sat  their  brown  owner, 
picking  them  to  pieces  and  laying  the  seeds  to  dry  on  a 
cloth.  I  went  up  and  told  him  that  I  came  from  England, 
and  never  saw  cacao  before,  though  I  had  been  eating  and 
drinking  it  all  my  life ;  at  which  news  he  grinned  amuse- 
ment till  his  white  teeth  and  eyeballs  made  a  light  in  that 
dark  place,  and  offered  me  a  fresh  broken  pod,  that  I  might 
taste  the  pink  sour  sweet  pulp  in  which  the  rows  of  the 
nibs  lie  packed,  a  pulp  which  I  found  very  pleasant  and 
refreshing. 

He  dries  his  cacao-nibs  in  the  sun,  and,  if  he  be  a  well- 
to-do  and  careful  man,  on  a  stage  with  wheels,  which  can 
be  run  into  a  little  shed  on  the  slightest  shower  of  rain ; 


Kingsley]    THE  HIGH  WOODS  OF  TRINIDAD.  383 

picks  them  over  and  over,  separating  the  better  quality  from 
the  worse;  and  at  last  sends  them  down  on  mule-back  to 
the  sea,  to  be  sold  in  London  as  Trinidad  cocoa,  or  perhaps 
in  Paris  to  the  chocolate-makers,  who  convert  them  into 
chocolate,  "  Menier"  or  other,  by  mixing  them  with  sugar 
and  vanilla — both,  possibly— from  this  very  island.  This 
latter  fact  once  inspired  an  adventurous  German  with  the 
thought  that  he  could  make  chocolate  in  Trinidad  just  as 
well  as  in  Paris.  And  (so  goes  the  story)  he  succeeded  ; 
but  the  fair  Creoles  would  not  buy  it.  It  could  not  be 
good ;  it  could  not  be  the  real  article,  unless  it  had  crossed 
the  Atlantic  twice  to  and  fro  from  that  centre  of  fashion, 
Paris.  So  the  manufacture,  which  might  have  added 
greatly  to  the  wealth  of  Trinidad,  was  given  up,  and  the 
ladies  of  the  island  eat  naught  but  French  chocolate,  cost- 
ing, it  is  said,  nearly  four  times  as  much  as  home-made 
chocolate  need  cost. 

As  we  walked  on  through  the  trace  (for  the  tramway 
here  was  still  unfinished),  one  of  my  kind  companions 
pointed  out  a  little  plant,  which  bears  in  the  islund  the 
ominous  name  of  the  Brinvilliers.  It  is  one  of  those 
deadly  poisons  too  common  in  the  bush,  and  too  well 
known  to  the  negro  Obi-men  and  Obi-women.  And  as  I 
looked  at  the  insignificant  weed,  I  wondered  how  the  namo 
of  that  wretched  woman  should  have  spread  to  this  remote 
island,  and  have  become  famous  enough  to  be  applied  to  a 
plant.  French  negroes  may  have  brought  the  name  with 
them ;  but  then  arose  another  wonder.  How  were  the 
terrible  properties  of  the  plant  discovered  ?  How  eager 
and  ingenious  must  the  human  mind  be  about  the  devil's 
work,  and  what  long  practice — considering  its  usual  slow- 
ness and  dulness — must  it  have  had  at  the  said  work,  ever 
to  have  picked  out  this  paltry  thing  among  the  thousand 
weeds  of  the  forest  as  a  tool  for  its  jealousy  and  revenge ! 


384  HALF-HOURS  OF   TRAVEL.  [Kingslky 

It  may  have  taken  ages  to  discover  the  Brinvilliers,  and 
ages  more  to  make  its  poison  generally  known.  Why  not? 
As  the  Spaniards  say,  "  The  devil  knows  many  things,  be- 
cause he  is  old."  Surely  this  is  one  of  the  many  facts 
which  point  towards  some  immensely  ancient  civilization 
in  the  tropics,  and  a  civilization  which  may  have  had  its 
ugly  vices  and  have  been  destroyed  thereby. 

Now  we  left  the  cacao  grove ;  and  I  was  aware  on  each 
side  of  the  trace  of  a  wall  of  green,  such  as  I  had  never 
seen  before  on  earth,  not  even  in  my  dreams, — strange 
colossal  shapes  towering  up  a  hundred  feet  and  more  in 
height,  which,  alas!  it  was  impossible  to  reach,  for  on 
either  side  of  the  trace  were  fifty  yards  of  half-cleared 
ground,  fallen  logs,  withes,  huge  stumps  ten  feet  high, 
charred  and  crumbling,  and  among  them  and  over  them 
a  wilderness  of  creepers  and  shrubs,  and  all  the  luxuriant 
young  growth  of  the  "  rastrajo,"  which  springs  up  at  once 
whenever  the  primeval  forest  is  cleared, — all  utterly  im- 
passable. These  rastrajo  forms,  of  course,  were  all  new  to 
me.  I  might  have  spent  weeks  in  botanizing  merely  at 
them ;  but  all  I  could  remark,  or  cai'ed  to  remark,  there  as 
in  other  places,  was  the  tendency  in  the  rastrajo  towards 
growing  enormous  rounded  leaves.  Hoav  to  get  at  the 
giants  behind  was  the  only  question  for  one  who  for  forty 
years  had  been  longing  for  one  peep  at  Flora's  fairy  palace, 
and  saw  its  portals  open  at  last.  There  was  a  deep  gully 
before  us,  where  a  gang  of  convicts  was  working  at  a 
wooden  bridge  for  the  tramway,  amid  the  usual  abysmal 
mud  of  the  tropic  wet  season,  and  on  the  other  side  of  it 
there  was  no  rastrajo  right  and  left  of  the  trace.  I  hurried 
down  it  like  any  school-boy,  dashing  through  mud  and 
water,  hopping  from  log  to  log,  regardless  of  warnings  and 
offers  of  help  from  good-natured  negroes,  who  expected  the 
respectable  elderly  "  buccra"  to  come  to  grief,  struggled 


Kinqsley]    THE  HIGH  WOODS  OF  TRINIDAD.  385 

perspiring  up  the  other  side  of  the  gully,  and  then  dashed 
away  to  the  left,  and  stopped  short,  breathless  with  awe,  in 
the  primeval  forest  at  last. 

In  the  primeval  forest,  looking  upon  that  upon  which  my 
teachers  and  masters,  Humboldt,  Spix,  Martius,  Schom- 
burgk,  Waterton,  Bates,  Wallace,  Gosse,  and  the  rest,  had 
looked  already,  with  far  wiser  eyes  than  mine,  compre- 
hending somewhat  at  least  of  its  wonders,  while  I  could 
only  stare  in  ignorance.  There  was  actually,  then,  such  a 
sight  to  be  seen  on  earth,  and  it  was  not  less,  but  far  more, 
wonderful  than  they  had  said. 

My  first  feeling  on  entering  the  high  woods  was  helpless- 
ness, confusion,  awe,  all  but  terror.  One  is  afraid  at  first 
to  venture  in  fifty  yards.  Without  a  compass,  or  the  land- 
mark of  some  opening  to  or  from  which  he  can  look,  a  man 
must  be  lost  in  the  first  ten  minutes,  such  a  sameness  is 
there  in  the  infinite  variety.  That  sameness  and  variety 
make  it  impossible  to  give  any  general  sketch  of  the 
forest.  Once  inside  "you  cannot  see  the  wood  for  the 
trees."  You  can  only  wander  on  as  far  as  you  dare, 
letting  each  object  impress  itself  on  your  mind  as  it  may, 
and  carrying  away  a  confused  recollection  of  innumerable 
perpendicular  lines  all  straining  upward,  in  fierce  com- 
petition, towards  the  light-food  far  above ;  and  next  of  a 
green  cloud,  or  rather  mist,  which  hovers  round  your  head, 
and  rises  thickening  to  an  unknown  height.  The  upward 
lines  are  of  every  possible  thickness,  and  of  almost  every 
possible  hue ;  what  leaves  they  bear,  being  for  most  part 
on  the  tips  of  the  twigs,  give  a  scattered,  mist-like  appear- 
ance to  the  under  foliage. 

For  the  first  moment,  therefore,  the  forest  seems  more 
open  than  an  English  wood.     But  try  to  walk  through  it, 
and  ten  steps  undeceive  you.    Around  your  knees  are  prob- 
ably Mamures,  with  creeping  stems  and  fan-shaped  leaves, 
i.— r        %  33 


386  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Kingslkt 

something  like  those  of  a  young  cocoa-nut-palm.  You  try 
to  brush  through  them,  and  are  caught  up  instantly  by  a 
string  or  wire  belonging  to  some  other  plant.  You  look  up 
and  round,  and  then  you  find  that  the  air  is  full  of  wires, — ■ 
that  you  are  hung  up  in  a  net-work  of  fine  branches  belong- 
ing to  half  a  dozen  different  sorts  of  young  trees,  and  inter- 
twined with  as  many  different  species  of  slender  creepers. 
You  thought  at  your  first  glance  among  the  tree-stems 
that  you  were  looking  through  open  air;  you  find  that  you 
are  looking  through  a  labyrinth  of  wire  rigging,  and  must 
use  the  cutlass  right  and  left  at  every  five  steps. 

You  push  on  into  a  bed  of  strong  sedge-like  Sclerias, 
with  cutting  edges  to  their  leaves.  It  is  well  for  you  they 
are  only  three  and  not  six  feet  high.  In  the  midst  of  them 
you  run  against  a  horizontal  stick,  triangular,  rounded, 
smooth,  green.  You  take  a  glance  along  it  right  and  left, 
and  see  no  end  to  it  either  way,  but  gradually  discover 
that  it  is  the  leaf-stalk  of  a  young  Cocorite  palm.  The 
leaf  is  five-and-twenty  feet  long,  and  springs  from  a  huge 
ostrich  plume,  which  is  sprawling  out  of  the  ground  and 
up  above  your  head  a  few  yards  off.  You  cut  the  leaf- 
stalk through  right  and  left  and  walk  on,  to  be  stopped 
suddenly  (for  you  get  so  confused  by  the  multitude  of 
objects  that  you  never  see  anything  till  you  run  against  it) 
by  a  gray  lichen-covered  bar  as  thick  as  your  ankle.  You 
follow  it  up  with  your  eye,  and  find  it  entwine  itself  with 
three  or  four  other  bars,  and  roll  over  with  them  in  great 
knots,  and  festoons,  and  loops  twenty  feet  high,  and  then 
go  up  with  them  into  the  green  cloud  over  your  head,  and 
vanish,  as  if  a  giant  had  thrown  a  ship's  cable  into  the  tree- 
tops. 

One  of  them,  so  grand  that  its  form  strikes  even  the 
negro  and  the  Indian,  is  a  Liantasso.  You  see  that  at 
once  by  the  form  of  its  cable, — six  or  eight  inches  across  in 


Kingsley]     THE  HIGH  WOODS  OF  TRINIDAD.  387 

one  direction,  and  three  or  four  in  another,  furbelowed  all 
down  the  middle  into  regular  knots,  and  looking  like  a 
chain  cable  between  two  flexible  bars.  At  another  of  the 
loops,  about  as  thick  as  your  arm,  your  companion,  if 
you  have  a  forester  with  you,  will  spring  joyfully.  With  a 
few  blows  of  his  cutlass  he  will  sever  it  as  high  up  as  he 
can  reach,  and  again  below,  some  three  feet  down ;  and, 
while  you  are  wondering  at  this  seemingly  wanton  destruc- 
tion, he  lifts  the  bar  on  high,  throws  his  head  back,  and 
pours  down  his  thirsty  throat  a  pint  or  more  of  pure  cold 
water.  This  hidden  treasure  is,  strange  as  it  may  seem, 
the  ascending  sap,  or  rather  the  ascending  pure  rain-water 
which  has  been  taken  up  by  the  roots,  and  is  hurrying 
aloft,  to  be  elaborated  into  sap,  and  leaf,  and  flower,  and 
fruit,  and  fresh  tissue  for  the  very  stem  up  which  it  origi- 
nally climbed,  and  therefore  it  is  that  the  woodman  cuts  the 
water-vine  through  first  at  the  top  of  the  piece  which  he 
wants,  and  not  at  the  bottom ;  for  so  rapid  is  the  ascent 
of  the  sap,  that  if  he  cut  the  stem  below,  the  water 
would  have  all  fled  upward  before  he  could  cut  it  off 
above. 

Meanwhile,  the  old  story  of  Jack  and  the  Bean-stalk 
comes  into  your  mind.  In  such  a  forest  was  the  old  dame's 
hut,  and  up  such  a  bean-stalk  Jack  climbed,  to  fight  a 
giant  and  a  castle  high  above.  Why  not  ?  What  may 
not  be  up  there?  You  look  up  into  the  green  cloud,  and 
long  for  a  moment  to  be  a  monkey.  There  may  be 
monkeys  up  there  over  your  head, — burly  red  Howler,  or 
tiny  peevish  Sapajou,  peering  down  at  you,  but  you  cannot 
peer  up  at  them.  The  monkeys,  and  the  parrots,  and  the 
humming-birds,  and  the  flowers,  and  all  the  beauty,  are  up- 
stairs— up  above  the  green  cloud.  You  are  in  "  the  empty 
nave  of  the  cathedral,"  and  the  service  is  being  celebrated 
aloft  in  the  blazing  roof. 


388  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Kinqblet 

We  will  hope  that,  as  you  look  up,  you  have  not  been 
careless  enough  to  walk  on,  for  if  you  have  you  will  be 
tripped  up  at  once ;  nor  to  put  your  hand  out  incautiously 
to  rest  it  against  a  tree,  or  what  not,  for  fear  of  sharp 
thorns,  ants,  and  wasp-nests.  If  you  are  all  safe,  your  next 
steps,  probably,  as  you  struggle  through  the  bush  between 
tree- trunks  of  every  possible  size,  will  bring  you  face  to  face 
with  huge  upright  walls  of  seeming  boards,  whose  rounded 
edges  slope  upward  till,  as  your  eye  follows  them,  you  find 
them  enter  an  enormous  stem,  perhaps  round,  like  one  of 
the  Norman  pillars  of  Durham  nave,  and  just  as  huge;  per- 
haps fluted,  like  one  of  William  of  Wykeham's  columns  at 
Winchester. 

There  is  the  stem,  but  where  is  the  tree?  Above  the 
green  cloud.  You  struggle  up  to  it  between  two  of  the 
board  walls,  but  find  it  not  so  easy  to  reach.  Between  you 
and  it  are  half  a  dozen  tough  strings  which  you  had  not 
noticed  at  first, — the  eye  cannot  focus  itself  rapidly  enough 
in  this  confusion  of  distances, — which  have  to  be  cut 
through  ere  you  can  pass.  Some  of  them  are  rooted  in 
the  ground,  straight  and  tense ;  some  of  them  dangle  and 
wave  in  the  wind  at  every  height.  What  are  they?  Air- 
roots  of  wild  pines,  or  of  Matapalos,  or  of  figs,  or  of 
Seguines,  or  of  some  other  parasito  ?  Probably  ;  but  you 
cannot  see.  All  you  can  see  is,  as  you  put  your  chin 
close  against  the  trunk  of  the  tree  and  look  up,  as  if  you 
were  looking  up  against  the  side  of  a  great  ship  set  on 
end,  that  some  sixty  or  eighty  feet  up  in  the  green  cloud 
arms  as  big  as  English  forest-trees  branch  off,  and  that  out 
of  their  forks  a  whole  green  garden  of  vegetation  has 
tumbled  down  twenty  or  thirty  feet,  and  half  climbed  up 
again. 

You  scramble  round  the  tree  to  find  whence  this  aerial 
garden  has  sprung:   you  cannot  tell.     The  tree-trunk  is 


Kingslkt]    THE  HIGH  WOODS  OF  TRINIDAD.  389 

smooth  and  free  from  climbers,  and  that  mass  of  verdure 
may  belong  possibly  to  the  very  cables  which  you  met  as- 
cending into  the  green  cloud  twenty  or  thirty  yards  back, 
or  to  that  impenetrable  tangle  a  dozen  yards  on,  which  has 
climbed  a  small  tree,  and  then  a  taller  one  again,  and  then 
a  taller  still,  till  it  has  climbed  out  of  sight,  and  possibly 
into  the  lower  branches  of  the  big  tree.  And  what  are 
their  species?  What  are  their  families?  Who  knows? 
Not  even  the  most  experienced  woodman  or  botanist  can 
tell  you  the  names  of  plants  of  which  he  only  sees  the 
stems.  The  leaves,  the  flowers,  the  fruit,  can  only  be  ex- 
amined by  felling  the  tree ;  and  not  even  always  then,  for 
sometimes  the  tree,  when  cut,  refuses  to  fall,  linked  as  it  is 
by  chains  of  liane  to  all  the  trees  around.  Even  that  won- 
derful water-vine  which  we  cut  through  just  now  may  be 
one  of  three  or  even  four  different  plants.  .  .  . 

And  where  are  the  famous  Orchids?  They  perch  on 
every  bough  and  stem ;  but  they  are  not,  with  three  or  four 
exceptions,  in  flower  in  the  winter ;  and  if  they  were,  I 
know  nothing  about  them ;  at  least  I  know  enough  to 
know  how  little  I  know.  Whosoever  has  i*ead  Darwin's 
"Fertilization  of  Orchids,"  and  finds  in  his  own  reason  that 
the  book  is  true,  had  best  say  nothing  about  the  beautiful 
monsters  till  he  has  seen  with  his  own  eyes  more  than  his 
master. 

And  yet  even  the  three  or  four  that  are  in  flower  are 
worth  going  many  a  mile  to  see.  In  the  hot-house  they 
seem  almost  artificial  from  their  strangeness ;  but  to  see 
them  "  natural,"  on  natural  boughs,  gives  a  sense  of  their 
reality  which  no  unnatural  situation  can  give.  Even  to 
look  up  at  them  perched  on  bough  and  stem,  as  one  rides 
by,  and  to  guess  what  exquisite  and  fantastic  form  may 
issue,  in  a  few  months  or  weeks,  out  of  those  fleshy,  often 
unsightly,  leaves,  is   a   strange   pleasure, — a   spur  to  tho 

33* 


390  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Kinoslet 

fancy  which  is  surely  wholesome,  if  wo  will  but  believe 
that  all  these  things  were  invented  by  a  Fancy,  which  de- 
sires to  call  out  in  us,  by  contemplating  them,  such  small 
fancy  as  we  possess,  and  to  make  us  poets,  each  according 
to  his  power,  by  showing  a  world  in  which,  if  rightly 
looked  at,  all  is  poetry. 

Another  fact  will  soon  force  itself  on  your  attention,  un- 
less you  wish  to  tumble  down  and  get  wet  up  to  your 
knees.  The  soil  is  furrowed  everywhere  by  holes,  by 
graves  some  two  or  three  feet  wide  and  deep,  and  of  un- 
certain length  and  shape,  often  wandering  about  for  thirty 
or  forty  feet,  and  running  confusedly  into  each  other. 
They  are  not  the  work  of  man,  nor  of  an  animal,  for  no 
earth  seems  to  have  been  thrown  out  of  them.  In  the 
bottom  of  the  dry  graves  you  sometimes  see  a  decaying 
root;  but  most  of  them  just  now  are  full  of  water,  and  of 
tiny  fish  also,  which  burrow  in  the  mud,  and  sleep  during 
the  dry  season,  to  come  out  and  swim  during  the  wet. 
These  graves  are,  some  of  them,  plainly  quite  new.  Some, 
again,  are  very  old,  for  trees  of  all  sizes  are  growing  in 
them  and  over  them. 

What  makes  them?  A  question  not  easily  answered. 
But  the  shrewdest  foresters  say  that  they  have  held  the 
roots  of  trees  now  dead.  Either  the  tree  has  fallen,  and 
torn  its  roots  out  of  the  ground,  or  the  roots  and  stumps 
have  rotted  in  their  place,  and  the  soil  above  them  has 
fallen  in. 

But  they  must  decay  very  quickly,  these  roots,  to  leave 
their  quiet  fresh  graves  thus  empty ;  and — now  one  thinks 
of  it — how  few  fallen  trees,  or  even  dead  sticks,  there  are 
about.  An  English  wood,  if  left  to  itself,  would  be  cum- 
bered with  fallen  timber ;  and  one  has  heard  of  forests  in 
North  America  through  which  it  is  all  but  impossible  to 
make  way,  so  high  are  piled  up,  among  the  still  growing 


Kingslky]    THE  HIGH  WOODS  OF  TRINIDAD.  391 

trees,  dead  logs  in  every  stage  of  decay.  Such  a  sight 
may  be  seen  in  Europe  among  the  high  silver-fir  forests  of 
the  Pyrenees.  How  is  it  not  so  here?  How,  indeed? 
And  how  comes  it — if  you  will  look  again — that  there  are 
few  or  no  fallen  leaves,  and  actually  no  leaf-mould  ?  In  an 
English  wood  there  would  be  a  foot — perhaps  two  feet — of 
black  soil,  renewed  by  every  autumn  leaf-fall.  Two  feet  ? 
One  has  heard  often  enough  of  bison-hunting  in  Himalayan 
forests  among  Deodaras  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  high, 
and  scarlet  rhododendrons  thirty  feet  high,  growing  in 
fifteen  or  twenty  feet  of  leaf-  and  timber-mould.  And  here, 
in  a  forest  equally  ancient,  every  plant  is  growing  out  of 
the  bare  yellow  loam  as  it  might  in  a  well-hoed  garden-bed. 
Is  it  not  strange  ? 

Most  strange,  till  you  remember  where  you  are, — in  one 
of  Nature's  hottest  and  dampest  laboratories.  Nearly 
eighty  inches  of  yearly  rain  and  more  than  eighty  degrees 
of  perpetual  heat  make  swift  work  with  vegetable  fibre, 
which,  in  our  cold  and  sluggard  clime,  would  curdle  into 
leaf-mould,  perhaps  into  peat.  Far  to  the  north,  in  poor  old 
Ireland,  and  far  to  the  south,  in  Patagonia,  begin  the  zones 
of  peat,  where  dead  vegetable  fibre,  its  treasures  of  light 
and  heat  locked  up,  lies  all  but  useless  age  after  age.  But 
this  is  the  zone  of  illimitable  sun  force,  which  destroys  as 
swiftly  as  it  generates,  and  generates  again  as  swiftly  as  it 
destroys.  Here,  when  the  forest  giant  falls,  as  some  tell 
me  that  they  have  heard  him  fall,  on  silent  nights,  when 
the  cracking  of  the  roots  below  and  the  lianes  aloft  rattles 
like  musketry  through  the  woods,  till  the  great  trunk 
comes  down,  with  a  boom  as  of  a  heavy  gun,  re-echoing  on 
from  mountain-side  to  mountain-side ;  then 

"  Nothing  in  him  that  doth  fade, 
But  doth  suffer  an  air-change 
Into  something  rich  and  strange." 


392  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Kingsley 

Under  the  genial  rain  and  genial  heat,  the  timber-tree 
itself,  all  its  tangled  ruin  of  lianes  and  parasites,  and  the 
boughs  and  leaves,  snapped  off  not  only  by  the  blow,  but  by 
the  very  wind  of  the  falling  tree,  all  melt  away  swiftly  and 
peacefully  in  a  few  months — say  almost  a  few  days — into 
the  water,  and  carbonic  acid,  and  sunlight  out  of  which 
they  were  created  at  first,  to  be  absorbed  instantly  by  the 
green  leaves  around,  and,  transmuted  into  fresh  forms  of 
beauty,  leave  not  a  wrack  behind.  Explained  thus, — and 
this  I  believe  to  be  the  true  explanation, — the  absence  of 
leaf-mould  is  one  of  the  grandest,  as  it  is  one  of  the  most 
startling,  phenomena  of  the  forest. 

[And  thus  the  writer  rambles  on,  telling  fresh  marvels  of  the  tropic 
woods,  from  which  a  knowledge  is  attained  that  "  defies  all  analysis."] 

[It  is  that  of]  the  causes  and  effects  of  their  beauty ; 
that  "  aesthetic"  of  plants,  of  which  Schleiden  has  spoken 
so  well  in  that  charming  book  of  his,  "  The  Plant,"  which 
all  should  read  who  wish  to  know  somewhat  of  "  The  Open 
Secret."  But  when  they  read  it  let  them  read  with  open 
hearts.  For  that  same  "  Open  Secret"  is,  I  suspect,  one  of 
those  which  God  may  hide  from  the  wise  and  prudent,  and 
yet  reveal  to  babes. 

At  least,  so  it  seemed  to  me,  the  first  day  that  I  went, 
awe-struck,  into  the  High  Woods ;  and  so  it  seemed  to  me, 
the  last  day  that  I  came,  even  more  awe-struck,  out  of 
them. 


Brown]  ANIMALS   OF  BRITISH  GUIANA.  393 


ANIMALS  OF  BRITISH  GUIANA. 

C.   BARRINGTON   BROWN. 

[British  Guiana,  the  land  which  seems  so  strongly  inclined  to  extend 
its  borders  at  the  expense  of  Venezuela,  is  as  yet  very  far  from  being 
the  active  and  well-developed  settlement  which  might  be  imagined 
from  the  aggressiveness  of  its  rulers.  Mr.  Brown's  story  of  it  indicates 
a  land  of  which  nature  is  still  largely  the  lord,  and  which  is  so  little 
known  that  he,  as  late  as  twenty  years  ago,  was  able  to  discover  a 
river  and  a  cataract  not  previously  heard  of.  The  selection  we  append, 
descriptive  of  the  wild  animals  of  the  country,  is  significant  of  an  un- 
developed land.  Mr.  Brown,  in  his  "  Canoe  and  Camp  Life  in 
British  Guiana,"  describes  a  number  of  unsuccessful  efforts  to  shoot 
jaguars,  and  continues:] 

One  of  the  men  happened  to  go  a  few  yards  behind  one 
of  our  camping-places,  when  he  heard  a  movement  behind 
him ;  turning  round  he  saw  a  jaguar  leisurely  surveying 
him.  He  fled  to  the  camp  with  his  story,  and  I  went  in 
search  of  the  animal  accompanied  by  one  man  armed  with 
a  cutlass.  We  did  not  go  far  before  we  saw  its  tracks  in 
the  sandy  bed  of  a  dry  water-course,  and  concluded  that 
it  had  gone  off.  We  gave  up  all  hopes  of  seeing  it,  and, 
turning  round,  were  on  the  point  of  making  our  way  back 
to  camp,  when  my  companion  suddenly  exclaimed,  "  Look  ! 
look!  the  tiger!"  Glancing  at  the  spot  indicated  I  saw  it 
crouching  in  a  thicket  with  its  head  bent  down,  its  body 
swaying  from  side  to  side,  glaring  at  us  with  eyes  of  a 
greenish  metallic  hue.  The  brute  had  evidently  been 
following  us  whilst  we  were  searching  for  it,  and  was 
working  itself  into  a  rage.  I  took  as  good  aim  at  its  head 
as  I  could,  and  fired ;  but  instead  of  seeing  it  lying  dead,  I 


394  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Bkown 

heard  it  bounding  and  crashing  through  the  forest  at  a 
fearful  pace. 

One  of  my  men  got  a  shot  at  a  jaguar  on  a  sand-beach, 
where  it  passed  within  twenty  feet  of  him,  as  he  crouched 
on  some  rocks.  The  only  effect  the  shot  had  on  the 
animal  was  to  make  it  gallop  away  a  few  yards,  then  turn 
for  an  instant  and  look  at  him.  The  men  whom  I  left  in 
charge  on  the  New  River  cut  open  a  hollow  log  contain- 
ing young  accouries,  and  took  them  out.  Their  squeals  on 
being  seized  attracted  a  puma,  which  ran  close  up  to  the 
men,  apparently  wishing  to  get  the  accouries,  when  one  of 
them  fired  at  it  and  it  made  off. 

One  evening,  whilst  returning  to  camp  along  the  port- 
age path  that  we  were  cutting  at  Wonobobo  Falls,  I 
walked  faster  than  the  men,  and  got  some  two  hundred 
yards  in  advance.  As  I  rose  the  slope  of  an  uneven  piece 
of  ground,  I  saw  a  large  puma  (Felis  concolof)  advancing 
along  the  other  side  of  the  rise  towards  me,  with  its  nose 
down  on  the  ground.  The  moment  I  saw  it  I  stopped ;  and 
at  the  same  instant  it  tossed  up  its  head,  and  seeing  me  also 
came  to  a  stand.  With  its  body  half  crouched,  its  head 
erect,  and  its  eyes  round  and  black,  from  its  pupils  having 
expanded  in  the  dusky  light,  it  looked  at  once  a  noble 
and  appalling  sight.  I  glanced  back  along  our  wide  path 
to  see  if  any  of  my  men  were  coming,  as  at  the  moment  I 
felt  that  it  was  not  well  to  be  alone  without  some  weapon 
of  defence,  and  I  knew  that  one  of  them  had  a  gun ;  but 
nothing  could  I  see.  As  long  as  I  did  not  move  the  puma 
remained  motionless  also,  and  thus  we  stood  some  fifteen 
yards  apart,  eying  each  other  curiously.  I  had  heard 
that  the  human  voice  is  potent  in  scaring  most  wild  boasts, 
and  feeling  that  the  time  had  arrived  to  do  something  des- 
perate, I  waved  my  arms  in  the  air  and  shouted  loudly. 
The  effect  on  the  tiger  was  electrical ;  it  turned  quickly  on 


Brown]  ANIMALS  OF  BRITISH  GUIANA.  395 

one  side,  and  in  two  bounds  was  lost  in  the  forest.  I  waited 
until  my  men  came  up,  however,  before  passing  the  place 
at  which  it  disappeared  in  case  it  might  only  be  tying  in 
ambush  there;  but  we  saw  nothing  more  of  it. 

When  returning  down  the  portage  and  dragging  our 
boats  over,  we  saw  a  jaguar  sitting  on  a  log  near  the  same 
spot,  watching  our  movements  with  evident  curiosity,  and 
although  the  men  were  singing  as  they  hauled  the  boats 
along,  it  did  not  seem  to  mind  the  noise.  As  soon  as  it  saw 
that  it  was  observed,  it  jumped  off  the  log,  and  with  a  low 
growl  made  off.  From  this  I  infer  that  the  flight  of  my 
puma  must  have  been  owing  more  to  the  windmill-like 
motion  of  my  arms  than  to  my  voice. 

During  our  journey  across  from  the  New  River  to  the 
Essequebo,  we  were  cooking  breakfast  one  morning,  when 
we  heard  a  tremendous  rushing  and  crashing  noise  coming 
towards  us  through  the  forest,  and  then  caught  a  glimpse 
of  an  accourie  flying  for  dear  life  before  a  black  tiger. 
Just  after  they  passed  the  accourie  gave  a  heart-rending 
scream  as  the  tiger  seized  it,  but  on  my  men  rushing  up  to 
the  spot,  the  tiger  left  its  prey  and  fled.  When  picked  up 
the  accourie  was  quite  dead,  but  on  examination  showed  no 
marks  whatever  of  the  tiger's  teeth.  The  tiger  had 
evidently  killed  it  by  springing  upon  it  with  its  legs  close 
together,  the  weight  of  its  body  giving  such  a  blow  that 
the  accourie's  life  Avas  fairly  knocked  out.  The  men  found 
its  dead  body  just  beyond  a  large  log,  slightly  raised  from 
the  gi*ound,  under  which  it  had  bolted  and  lost  some  head- 
way, while  the  cunning  tiger  took  the  log  in  its  stride  and 
so  came,  as  it  intended,  on  the  poor  accourie's  back,  with 
the  result  we  have  seen. 

On  returning  to  the  head  of  the  New  River  for  provisions, 
we  were  followed  for  many  miles  by  a  tiger,  for  on  going  back 
we  saw  its  huge  tracks  in  the  swampy  places  on  our  path. 


396  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Brown 

With  good  hunting-dogs  fine  jaguar-  and  puma-hunting 
might  be  obtained  on  the  banks  of  this  river,  where  with- 
out doubt  they  are  exceedingly  numerous.  Many  of  the 
Indian  hunting-dogs  trained  for  deer  or  tapir  will  huut 
tigers.  When  on  the  track  of  either  of  these  animals, 
should  they  come  across  the  scent  of  a  tiger,  their  eager 
and  confident  manner  of  pressing  on  after  the  game  is  im- 
mediately changed,  and  with  hair  on  their  backs  erect  they 
became  cautious  and  nervous  to  a  degree,  jumping  at  even 
the  snapping  of  a  twig.  Abandoning  the  hunt  they  take 
up  the  tiger's  track  and  follow  it.  But  should  the  hunts- 
man call  them  from  it,  or  not  cheer  them  on  with  his  voice 
from  time  to  time,  they  exhibit  great  fear,  and  keeping 
close  to  his  heels  cannot  be  induced  to  hunt  any  more  in 
that  district  for  the  day.  On  the  contrary,  if  allowed  to 
follow  the  tiger,  they  track  it  up  with  caution,  being  fully 
aware  of  the  cunning  dodge  practised  by  that  animal, 
which  is,  when  the  dog  is  close  at  hand,  to  spring  to  one 
side  and  lie  in  ambush  till  it  passes,  when  with  one  spring 
the  dog  is  seized. 

Ordinary  dogs  would  fall  a  prey  to  this  trap,  but  not  the 
self-taught  tiger  dogs.  Their  fine  powers  of  scent  warn 
them  of  their  near  approach  to  the  quarry,  when  they 
advance  with  great  caution,  never  failing  to  detect  the  tiger 
in  time,  and  when  once  their  eye  is  upon  their  enemy  it 
has  no  chance  to  escape.  In  its  pride  of  strength,  the 
jaguar  scorns  the  dogs,  and  with  a  rush  like  a  ball  from  a 
cannon  springs  madly  at  one  of  them,  feeling  sure  that  it 
cannot  escape.  It  has  reckoned,  however,  without  its  host, 
for  the  dog  eludes  the  spring  with  ease,  and  with  great 
quickness  flies  on  the  tiger's  flank,  giving  it  a  severe  nip. 
As  the  tiger  turns  with  a  growl  of  pain  and  disappoint- 
ment, the  dog  is  off  to  a  little  distance,  yelping  lustily  and 
never  remaining  still  an  instant,  but  darting  first  on  one 


Brown]  ANIMALS  OF  BRITISH  GUIANA.  397 

side  and  then  on  the  other.  After  one  or  two  ineffectual 
charges  the  tiger  gives  it  up,  and  on  the  approach  of  the 
hunter,  springs  into  the  nearest  suitable  tree,  which  it 
seldom  leaves  alive. 

[The  Indians  describe  several  kinds  of  tigers  and  tiger-cats,  each 
of  which  hunts  one  kind  of  animal  in  particular,  whose  call  it  can 
imitate.  The  deer-tiger  is  the  puma.  The  wailah,  or  tapir-tiger,  is 
pure  black  and  of  great  size.] 

The  Corentyne  and  its  branches  were  literally  teeming 
with  fish  of  various  kinds,  the  greater  number  being  hai- 
mara  and  perai.  The  latter  were  so  abundant  and  ferocious 
that  at  times  it  was  dangerous,  when  bathing,  to  go  into 
the  water  at  a  greater  depth  than  up  to  one's  knees.  Even 
then  small  bodies  of  these  hungry  creatures  would  swim 
in  and  make  a  dash  close  up  to  our  legs,  and  then  retreat 
to  a  short  distance.  They  actually  bit  the  steering  paddles 
as  they  were  drawn  through  the  water  astern  of  the  boats. 
A  tapir  which  I  shot  swimming  across  the  river  had  its 
nose  eaten  off  by  them  whilst  we  were  towing  it  to  the 
shore. 

Of  an  evening  the  men  used  to  catch  some  of  them  for 
sport,  and  in  taking  the  hook  from  their  mouths  produce  a 
wound  from  which  the  blood  ran  freely.  On  throwing 
them  back  into  the  water  in  this  injured  condition  they 
were  immediately  set  upon  and  devoured  by  their  com- 
panions. Even  as  one  was  being  hauled  in  on  the  line,  its 
comrades,  seeing  that  it  was  in  difficulties,  attacked  it  at 
once.  One  day,  when  the  boat  was  hauled  into  some  rocks, 
a  few  of  the  men  were  engaged  shooting  fish  near  by,  and 
in  so  doing  wounded  a  large  haimara.  Having  escaped 
from  its  human  tormentors,  it  made  for  the  open  river,  but 
was  instantly  attacked  by  perai  attracted  by  the  blood  es- 
caping from  its  wound,  and  was  driven  back  to  the  shelter 
of  the  rocks  close  to  the  boat,  from  which  I  had  a  good 

34 


398  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Brown 

view  of  the  chase.  The  large  fish  followed  by  its  savage 
enemies  reminded  me  of  a  parallel  case  on  land, — a  stricken 
deer  pursued  by  wolves. 

The  perai,  fortunately,  lie  only  off  sand-beaches  and  in 
quiet  pools,  not  frequenting  the  cataracts,  where  their 
presence  would  be  anything  but  acceptable  to  the  men 
when  working  in  the  water.  I  was  fortunate  enough  to 
find  the  spawning-place  of  some  perai  on  the  matted 
clusters  of  fibrous  roots  of  some  lianes,  which  hung  from 
the  branches  of  a  tree  into  the  water,  among  which  much 
earthy  sediment  had  collected  and  many  small  aquatic 
plants  had  grown.  The  sediment  gave  weight  to  the 
roots,  which  kept  the  clusters  under  water,  and  the  force 
of  the  current  made  them  buoyant,  giving  the  lianes  a 
slope  when  the  river  was  high,  which  kept  them  not  far 
from  its  surface.  My  attention  was  attracted  to  them  by 
two  perai  lying  close  to  them,  with  their  heads  up-stream, 
as  the  men  said,  engaged  in  watching  their  eggs.  Pro- 
curing one  of  the  roots  I  examined  it,  and  found  among 
it  numbers  of  single  eggs  and  clusters  of  small  jelly-like 
young,  which  had  been  already  hatched.  The  eggs  were 
white  and  about  one-eighth  of  an  inch  in  diameter,  with  a 
hard  exterior.  The  young  were  very  little  larger,  and  had 
a  glutinous  surface,  which  caused  them  to  adhere  together 
on  being  taken  from  the  water.  They  had  not  acquired 
any  powers  of  locomotion,  but  could  just  wriggle  their  tails 
like  tadpoles.  Under  a  lens  they  resembled  the  egg  de- 
void of  its  covering,  with  a  gelatinous  ridge  around  three- 
quarters  of  its  circumference,  one  of  which  expanded  into 
a  knob  (probably  the  head),  while  the  other  termination 
was  flattened  and  tail-like.  I  could  not  detect  any  eyes 
or  mouth  in  them,  but  their  bodies  were  speckled  with  gray 
markings  of  coloring  matter.  .  .  . 

Jn   hauling  the  boats  up  the  shallow  rapids  near  the 


Brown]  ANIMALS  OF  BRITISH  GUIANA.  399 

mouth  of  the  Cutari  the  men,  whilst  wading,  were  fre- 
quently struck  by  conger  eels.  Every  now  and  then  a  man 
would  call  out  "  Congler,  congler,"  and  jumping  into  the 
boat  rub  his  shins,  which  had  been  benumbed  by  a  touch 
from  one  of  these  fish.  After  half  a  minute  or  so  the 
numbness  wore  off  and  he  took  to  the  water  again.  The 
boat  being  in  a  critical  condition  at  the  time,  it  was  im- 
possible for  the  men  to  leave  the  water.  They  had  there- 
fore to  brave  out  the  shocks  from  these  batteries,  which 
must  have  been  very  slight,  given  probably  by  small  eels, 
or  they  could  not  have  stood  them. 

Small  long-bodied  fish  were  very  common,  and  one  kind, 
called  courami,  took  the  baited  hook  as  long  as  the  fisher- 
man who  threw  the  line  was  out  of  sight. 

The  lukenaine,  or  sunfish,  was  captured  by  my  men  in  a 
singular  manner.  They  manufactured  an  exceedingly  rude 
fly  out  of  a  bunch  of  silk-grass  (Bromelia  karatas)  fibre, 
and  attached  it  to  a  large  hook  with  a  short  line  and  rod. 
Drawing  it  rapidly  over  pools  among  the  rocks  it  was 
immediately  taken  by  the  lukenaine,  as  the  artifical  fly  is 
struck  by  the  trout. 

Sting-rays  were  frequently  seen  on  the  sandy  bottom  or 
grovelling  for  worms  in  the  muddy  banks  under  water. 
My  interpreter,  William,  was  unfortunate  enough  to  step 
upon  one,  which,  being  of  the  color  of  the  bottom,  was  not 
observed.  It  drove  its  spine  or  sting  into  the  side  of  his 
instep,  producing  a  jagged  wound  which  bled  profusely.  I 
immediately  put  laudanum  on  the  wound  and  gave  him  a 
strong  dose  of  ammonia.  In  a  quarter  of  an  hour  after 
he  was  writhing  on  the  ground  in  great  agony,  actually 
screaming  at  times  with  the  pain  he  felt  in  the  wounded 
part,  in  his  groin,  and  under  one  armpit.  His  foot  and 
leg  were  so  cold  that  he  got  one  man  to  light  a  fire  and 
support  his  foot  over  it,  persisting  in  trying  to  put  it  in  the 


400  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Brown 

flames.  I  gave  him  two  doses  of  laudanum,  one  shortly 
after  the  other,  without  relieving  his  sufferings  in  the 
slightest  degree.  After  three  hours  of  intense  pain  he 
became  easier,  but  had  returns  of  it  at  intervals  during  the 
night.  For  a  week  he  was  unable  to  put  his  foot  on  the 
ground,  and  the  wound  did  not  heal  thoroughly  for  six 
weeks.  .  .  . 

We  did  not  see  a  single  cayman  during  our  stay  on  the 
Corentyne.  It  may  safely  be  inferred  that  there  are  none 
on  that  river,  a  singular  fact  that  cannot  be  accounted  for. 
Small  alligators,  of  about  four  feet  in  length,  are  numer- 
ous, however,  and  one  of  them  one  night  carried  off  a 
young  cat  which  the  men  had  brought  from  Georgetown. 
Poor  puss  had  gone  to  the  water's  edge  to  drink,  when  the 
alligator  with  one  blow  of  its  tail  swept  it  into  the  water 
and  carried  it  away.  On  the  following  morning  we  saw 
the  alligator  with  its  snout  resting  on  a  rock  near  by,  so  I 
shot  it ;  the  men  dragging  it  out  of  the  water  and  leaving 
it  on  the  rocks.  On  returning,  some  months  afterwards, 
wTe  camped  at  the  same  place,  and  there  among  the  bones 
of  the  alligator  saw  those  of  the  cat  bleaching  in  the  sun. 

Iguanas  were  numerous,  and  on  one  occasion,  when  one 
in  a  tree  overhead  was  shot  at  with  an  arrow,  it  jumped 
down  to  gain  the  water,  but  not  calculating  its  distance 
accurately,  landed  on  the  back  of  one  of  the  men,  who, 
seeing  it  coming,  ducked  his  head  and  dropped  his  paddle 
overboard.  The  paddle,  being  made  of  paruru,  or  paddle- 
wood,  was  heavy,  and  sank,  and  the  man  was  afraid  to  dive 
for  it  among  the  numerous  perai. 

[The  author  proceeds  to  describe  the  birds  and  trees  of  the  region, 
ending  with  an  interesting  account  of  the  Brazil-nut.] 

Upon  the  borders  of  the  New  River  and  main  Coren- 
tyne, above  the  last-mentioned  fall,  we  met  with  large 


Brown]  ANIMALS  OF  BRITISH  GUIANA.  401 

groves  of  Brazil-nut-trees,  and  on  the  ground  beneath  them 
obtained  numbers  of  their  nuts.  I  was  fortunate  to  find 
some  of  the  nut-cases  containing  nuts  that  had  commenced 
to  germinate,  each  nut  sending  out  long  roots  from  one  end 
and  young  plants  from  the  other.  The  roots  were  all 
twisted  and  matted  together,  quite  filling  up  the  cavities 
in  the  case  around  the  nuts ;  yet  the  nut-case  was  hard  and 
showed  no  signs  of  decay,  so  that  it  is  difficult  to  say  how 
the  young  plants  free  themselves.  There  is  a  small  aper- 
ture where  the  fruit-stalk  was  once  attached,  but  in  only 
one  instance  did  I  find  a  case  in  which  one  of  the  young 
plants  had  found  its  way  out  through  this  and  sent  forth 
leaves.  It  seems  to  me  that  when  this  happens  one  plant 
alone  survives  of  the  twelve  or  fifteen  that  commenced  to 
grow,  and  that  its  matted  roots,  gradually  filling  the  nut- 
case, eventually  burst  it,  when  the  plant  is  free  to  take 
root  in  the  earth.  The  strong  cover  of  the  growing  nut  is 
necessary  protection  to  the  young  plant,  for  without  such 
it  would  be  devoured  by  one  of  the  host  of  animals  that 
are  ready  to  eat  it. 

I  planted  some  of  the  sprouting  nuts,  cut  out  of  their 
hard  outer  covering,  on  my  way  up  the  river,  but  on  re- 
turning found  that  they  had  all  been  dug  up  and  eaten  by 
rats  and  other  small  vermin.  I  therefore  had  a  lot  plauted 
in  a  box  at  our  camp  above  King  Frederick  William  IV. 
Fall  on  my  first  return  to  that  spot,  and  placed  on  the 
stem  of  a  small  tree  cut  off  some  five  feet  from  the  ground. 
In  this  position  they  were  free  from  the  attacks  of  small  ani- 
mals, and,  being  covered  with  a  shelter  of  some  palm-leaves, 
thrived  wonderfully.  These  plants  were  subsequently  sent 
to  Kew,  where  they  arrived  in  a  fine  healthy  condition. 

We  found  many  nut-cases  with  holes  cut  in  them  by 
accouries,  the  marks  of  the  gnawing  teeth  of  those  animals 
being   plainly   shown.      My  men  used  to  open   them  by 

I.  — an  3-1* 


402  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Brown 

chopping  off  their  ends  with  a  cutlass,  which,  owing  to 
their  hardness,  was  no  easy  operation.  The  quatas,  or 
large  black  spider-monkeys,  spent  a  good  deal  of  their  time 
in  trying  to  open  them  by  beating  them  against  the 
branches  of  trees  or  on  hard  logs  upon  the  ground ;  and 
as  we  passed  a  grove  of  Brazil-nut-trees  it  was  amusing  to 
hear  the  hammering  sounds  produced  by  these  fellows  at 
their  self-imposed  tasks.  Where  a  single  monkey  was  thus 
employed  the  blows  were  most  laughably  "few  and  far 
between,"  the  creature  showing  its  true  indolent  character 
by  the  slow  way  in  which  it  performed  its  work,  resting 
for  a  few  minutes  between  every  blow.  It  also  showed  an 
amount  of  perseverance,  however,  that  one  would  not  look 
for  in  a  monkey,  and  a  knowledge  that  it  would  eventually 
reap  a  reward  for  its  hard  labor. 

Groodness  knows  how  long  it  takes  one  of  these  monkeys 
to  break  a  nut-case ;  but  the  time  must  be  great,  for  on  one 
occasion,  during  our  journey  from  the  New  River  to  the 
upper  Essequebo,  we  got  quietly  among  a  lot  of  the  nut- 
breakers,  and  secured  a  nut-case  which  one  in  its  hurry 
had  left  upon  a  log,  and  which  was  worn  smooth  by  the 
friction  of  the  monkey's  hands.  This  had  evidently  been 
pounded  for  a  length  of  time,  but  showed  no  signs  of 
cracking.  Its  natural  aperture  was  large  enough  to  allow 
the  monkey's  fingers  to  touch  the  ends  of  the  nuts  inside, 
which  were  picked  and  worn  by  its  nails.  Near  the  same 
place  we  saw  a  nut-case  split  in  two,  on  the  flat  surface  of 
a  large  granite  rock,  that  had  evidently  been  broken  by  a 
monkey,  for  there  were  no  Brazil-nut-trees,  from  which  it 
could  have  fallen,  overhanging  the  spot. 

The  blossoms  of  the  Brazil-nut-tree  are  large  and  yellow, 
having  a  delicate  aromatic  perfume.  They  are  similar,  but 
larger  than  the  caccarali,  or  monkey-pot-tree  (Lecythis 
ollaria),  whose  flowers  are  so  powerfully  scented. 


Von  Humboldt]    SCENERY  IN  VENEZUELA.  403 


LIFE  AND  SCENERY  IN  VENEZUELA. 

ALEXANDER  VON  HUMBOLDT. 

[The  illustrious  traveller  and  scientist  from  whose  picturesque  de- 
scriptions of  life  and  scenery  in  South  America  we  here  quote  was  horn 
in  Berlin,  September  14,  1769.  After  a  careful  university  education 
and  scientific  labors  in  Europe,  he  set  sail  for  America  in  1799,  and 
during  the  succeeding  five  years  explored  a  great  extent  of  territory 
within  the  areas  of  the  present  states  of  Venezuela,  Colombia,  Ecuador, 
Peru,  and  Mexico.  For  twenty-five  years  succeeding  his  return  he 
was  employed  in  arranging  his  collections,  publishing  the  results  of 
his  observations,  and  in  other  scientific  labors.  In  1829  he  again  be- 
came a  traveller,  and  explored  a  wide  district  in  Asia.  He  died,  in  his 
ninetieth  year,  May  6,  1859.  Few  men  have  ever  done  so  much  for 
the  advancement  of  science,  while  his  published  works  of  travel  con- 
tain much  that  is  of  value  from  a  literary  point  of  view.  We  extract 
a  series  of  interesting  passages  relating  to  scenery  and  incidents  in  the 
Orinoco  region.  The  first  is  descriptive  of  the  remarkable  "cow- 
tree."] 

When  incisions  are  made  in  the  trunk  of  this  tree, 
it  yields  abundance  of  a  glutinous  milk,  tolerably  thick, 
devoid  of  all  acridity,  and  of  an  agreeable  and  balmy 
smell.  It  was  offered  to  us  in  the  shell  of  a  calabash.  We 
drank  considerable  quantities  of  it  in  the  evening  before 
we  went  to  bed,  and  very  early  in  the  morning,  without 
feeling  the  least  injurious  effect.  The  glutinous  character 
of  this  milk  alone  renders  it  a  little  disagreeable.  The 
negroes  and  the  free  people  who  work  in  the  plantations 
drink  it,  dipping  into  it  their  bread  of  maize  or  cassava. 
The  overseer  of  the  farm  told  us  that  the  negroes  grow 
sensibly  fatter  during  the  season  when  the  palo  de  vaca 
furnishes  them  with  most  milk.  The  juice,  exposed  to 
the  air,  presents  at  its  surface  membranes  of  a  strongly 


404  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.     [Von  Humboldt 

animalized  substance,  yellowish,  stringy,  and  resembling 
cheese. 

Amidst  the  great  number  of  curious  phenomena  which  I 
have  observed  in  the  course  of  my  travels,  I  confess  there 
are  few  that  have  made  so  powerful  an  impression  on  me 
as  the  aspect  of  the  cow-tree.  Whatever  relates  to  milk 
or  to  corn  inspires  an  interest  which  is  not  merely  that  of 
the  physical  knowledge  of  things,  but  is  connected  with 
another  order  of  ideas  and  sentiments.  We  can  scarcely 
conceive  how  the  human  race  could  exist  without  farina- 
ceous substances,  and  without  that  nourishing  juice  which 
the  breast  of  the  mother  contains,  and  which  is  appropri- 
ated to  the  long  feebleness  of  the  infant.  The  amylaceous 
matter  of  corn,  the  object  of  religious  veneration  among  so 
many  nations,  ancient  and  modern,  is  diffused  in  the  seeds 
and  deposited  in  the  roots  of  vegetables ;  milk,  which 
serves  as  an  aliment,  appears  to  us  exclusively  the  produce 
of  animal  organization.  Such  are  the  impressions  we  have 
received  in  our  earliest  infancy ;  such  is  also  the  source  of 
that  astonishment  created  by  the  aspect  of  the  tree  just 
described.  It  is  not  here  the  solemn  shades  of  forests,  the 
majestic  course  of  rivers,  the  mountains  wrapped  in  eternal 
snow,  that  excite  our  emotion.  A  few  drops  of  vegetable 
juice  recall  to  our  minds  all  the  powerfulness  and  the 
fecundity  of  nature.  On  the  barren  flank  of  a  rock  grows 
a  tree  with  coriaceous  and  dry  leaves.  Its  large  woody 
roots  can  scarcely  penetrate  into  the  stone.  For  several 
months  of  the  year  not  a  single  shower  moistens  its  foliage. 
Its  branches  appear  dead  and  dried ;  but  when  the  trunk 
is  pierced  there  flows  from  it  a  sweet  and  nourishing  milk. 
It  is  at  the  rising  of  the  sun  that  this  vegetable  fountain  is 
most  abundant.  The  negroes  and  natives  are  then  seen 
hastening  from  all  quarters,  furnished  with  large  bowls  to 
receive  the  milk,  which  grows  yellow  and  thickens  at  its 


Von  Humboldt]     SCENERY  IN  VENEZUELA.  405 

surface.     Some  empty  their  bowls  under  the  tree  itself, 
others  carry  the  juice  home  to  their  children. 

[The  great  plains  of  Venezuela  are  thus  described  :] 

The  sun  was  almost  at  its  zenith ;  the  earth,  wherever 
it  appeared  sterile  and  destitute  of  vegetation,  was  at  the 
temperature  of  120°.  Not  a  breath  of  air  was  felt  at  the 
height  at  which  we  were  on  our  mules ;  yet,  in  the  midst 
of  this  apparent  calm,  whirls  of  dust  incessantly  arose, 
driven  on  by  those  small  currents  of  air  which  glide  only 
over  the  surface  of  the  ground,  and  are  occasioned  by  the 
difference  of  temperature  between  the  naked  sand  and  the 
spots  covered  with  grass.  All  around  us  the  plains  seemed 
to  ascend  to  the  sky,  and  the  vast  and  profound  solitude 
appeared  like  an  ocean  covered  with  sea-weed.  On  the 
horizon  the  earth  was  confounded  with  the  sky.  Through 
the  dry  mist  and  strata  of  vapor  the  trunks  of  palm-trees 
were  seen  from  afar,  stripped  of  their  foliage  and  their 
verdant  summits,  and  looking  like  the  masts  of  a  ship  de- 
scried upon  the  horizon.  There  is  something  awful,  as  well 
as  sad  and  gloomy,  in  the  uniform  aspect  of  those  steppes. 
Everything  seems  motionless;  scarcely  does  a  small  cloud, 
passing  across  the  zenith,  and  denoting  the  approach  of 
the  rainy  season,  cast  its  shadow  on  the  earth.  I  know  not 
whether  the  first  aspect  of  the  llanos  excites  less  astonish- 
ment than  that  of  the  chain  of  the  Andes. 

When,  beneath  the  vertical  rays  of  the  bright  and  cloud- 
less sun  of  the  tropics,  the  parched  sward  crumbles  into 
dust,  then  the  indurated  soil  cracks  and  bursts  as  if  rent 
asunder  by  some  mighty  earthquake.  And  if,  at  such  a 
time,  two  opposite  currents  of  air,  by  conflict  moving  in 
rapid  gyrations,  come  in  contact  with  the  earth,  a  singular 
spectacle  presents  itself.  Like  funnel-shaped  clouds,  their 
apexes  touching  the  earth,  the  sand  rises  in  vapory  form 


406  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.     [Von  Humboldt 

through  the  rarefied  air  in  the  electrically-charged  centre  of 
the  whirling  current,  sweeping  on  like  the  rushing  water- 
spout, which  strikes  such  terror  into  the  heart  of  the 
mariner.  A  dim  and  sallow  light  gleams  from  the  lowering 
sky  over  the  dreary  plain.  The  horizon  suddenly  contracts, 
and  the  heart  of  the  traveller  sinks  with  dismay  as  the 
wide  steppe  seems  to  close  upon  him  on  all  sides.  The 
hot  and  dusty  earth  forms  a  cloudy  veil  which  shrouds  the 
heavens  from  view,  and  increases  the  stifling  oppression  of 
the  atmosphere,  while  the  east  wind,  when  it  blows  over 
the  long-heated  soil,  instead  of  cooling,  adds  to  the  burning 
glow.  Gradually,  too,  the  pools  of  water,  which  had  been 
protected  from  evaporation  by  the  now  seared  foliage  of 
the  fan-palm,  disappear.  As  in  the  icy  north  animals 
became  torpid  from  cold,  so  here  the  crocodile  and  the 
boa-constrictor  lie  wrapt  in  unbroken  sleep,  deeply  buried 
in  the  dried  soil.  Everywhere  the  drought  announces 
death,  yet  everywhere  the  thirsty  wanderer  is  deluded  by 
the  phantom  of  a  moving,  undulating,  watery  surface, 
created  by  the  deceptive  play  of  the  mirage.  A  narrow 
stratum  separates  the  ground  from  the  distant  palm-trees, 
which  seem  to  hover  aloft,  owing  to  the  contact  of  currents 
of  air  having  different  degrees  of  heat,  and  therefore  of 
density.  Shrouded  in  dark  clouds  of  dust,  and  tortured 
by  hunger  and  burning  thirst,  oxen  and  horses  scour  the 
plain,  the  one  bellowing  dismally,  the  other  with  out- 
stretched necks  snuffing  the  wind,  in  the  endeavor  to 
detect,  by  the  moisture  of  the  air,  tho  vicinity  of  some 
pool  of  water  not  yet  wholly  evaporated. 

The  mule,  more  cautious  and  cunning,  adopts  another 
method  of  allaying  his  thirst.  There  is  a  globular  and 
articulated  plant,  the  Melo-cactus,  which  encloses  under  its 
prickly  integument  an  aqueous  pulp.  After  carefully 
striking   away  the   prickles  with   its   forefeet,  the   mule 


Von  Humboldt]     SCENERY  IN  VENEZUELA.  407 

cautiously  ventures  to  apply  his  lips  to  imbibe  the  cooling 
thistle  juice.  But  the  draught  from  this  living  vegetable 
spring  is  not  always  unattended  by  danger,  and  these 
animals  are  often  observed  to  have  been  lamed  by  the 
puncture  of  the  cactus  thorn.  Even  if  the  burning  heat 
of  day  be  succeeded  by  the  cool  freshness  of  the  night, 
here  always  of  equal  length,  the  wearied  ox  and  horse 
enjoy  no  repose.  Huge  bats  now  attack  the  animals 
during  sleep,  and  vampire-like  suck  their  blood ;  or,  fasten- 
ing on  their  backs,  raise  festering  wounds,  in  which  mos- 
quitoes, hippobosces,  and  a  host  of  other  stinging  insects 
burrow  and  nestle. 

When,  after  a  long  drought,  the  genial  season  of  rain 
arrives,  the  scene  suddenl}'  changes.  The  deep  azure  of 
the  hitherto  cloudless  sky  assumes  a  lighter  hue.  Scarcely 
can  the  dark  space  in  the  constellation  of  the  Southern 
Cross  be  distinguished  at  night.  The  mild  phosphorescence 
of  the  Magellenic  clouds  fades  away.  Like  some  distant 
mountain,  a  single  cloud  is  seen  rising  perpendicularly  on 
the  southern  horizon.  Misty  vapors  collect  and  gradually 
overspread  the  heavens,  while  distant  thunder  proclaims 
the  approach  of  the  vivifying  rain.  Scarcely  is  the  surface 
of  the  earth  moistened  before  the  teeming  steppe  becomes 
covered  with  a  variety  of  grasses.  Excited  by  the  power 
of  light,  the  herbaceous  mimosa  unfolds  its  dormant, 
drooping  leaves,  hailing,  as  it  were,  the  rising  sun  in  chorus 
with  the  matin  song  of  the  birds  and  the  opening  flowers 
of  aquatic  plants.  Horses  and  oxen,  buoyant  with  life  and 
enjoyment,  roam  over  and  crop  the  plains.  The  luxuriant 
grass  hides  the  beautifully  spotted  jaguar,  who,  lurking  in 
safe  concealment,  and  carefully  measuring  the  extent  of 
his  leap,  darts,  like  the  Asiatic  tiger,  with  a  cat-like  bound 
upon  his  passing  prey.  At  times,  according  to  the  accounts 
of  the  natives,  the  humid  clay  on  the  banks  of  the  morasses 


408  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.     [Von  Humboldt 

is  seen  to  rise  slowly  in  broad  flakes.  Accompanied  with 
a  violent  noise,  as  on  the  eruption  of  a  small  mud-volcano, 
the  upheaved  earth  is  hurled  high  into  the  air.  Those  who 
are  familiar  with  the  phenomenon  fly  from  it ;  for  a  colossal 
water-snake,  or  a  mailed  and  scaly  crocodile,  awakened  from 
its  trance  by  the  first  fall  of  rain,  is  about  to  burst  from 
its  tomb. 

When  the  rivers  bounding  the  plain  to  the  south,  as 
the  Arauca,  the  Apure,  and  the  Payara,  gradually  overflow 
their  banks,  nature  compels  those  creatures  to  live  as  am- 
phibious animals,  which,  during  the  first  half  of  the  year, 
were  perishing  with  thirst  on  the  waterless  and  dusty 
plain.  A  part  of  the  steppe  now  presents  the  appearance 
of  a  vast  inland  sea.  The  mares  retreat  with  their  foals 
to  the  higher  banks,  which  project,  like  islands,  above  the 
spreading  waters.  Day  by  day  the  dry  surface  diminishes 
in  extent.  The  cattle,  crowded  together,  and  deprived  of 
pasturage,  swim  for  hours  about  the  inundated  plain,  seek- 
ing a  scanty  nourishment  from  the  flowing  panicles  of  the 
grasses  which  rise  above  the  lurid  and  bubbling  waters. 
Many  foals  are  drowned,  many  are  seized  by  crocodiles, 
crushed  by  their  serrated  tails,  and  devoured.  Horses  and 
oxen  may  not  unfrequently  be  seen  which  have  escaped 
from  the  fury  of  this  blood-thirsty  and  gigantic  lizard, 
bearing  on  their  legs  the  marks  of  its  pointed  teeth. 

[A  widely  different  scene  is  that  of  the  forest  region,  the  nocturnal 
noises  of  whose  animal  inhabitants  are  thus  picturesquely  described.] 

Below  the  mission  of  Santa  Barbara  de  Arichuna  we 
passed  the  night  as  usual  in  the  open  air,  on  a  sandy  flat, 
on  the  bank  of  the  Apure,  skirted  by  the  impenetrable 
forest.  We  had  some  difficulty  in  finding  dry  wood  to 
kindle  the  fires  with  which  it  is  here  customary  to  surround 
the  bivouac,  as  a  safeguard  against  the  attacks  of  the 


Von  Humboldt]     SCENERY  IN  VENEZUELA.  409 

jaguar.  The  air  was  bland  and  soft  and  the  moon  shone 
brightly.  Several  crocodiles  approached  the  bank ;  and  I 
have  observed  that  fire  attracts  these  creatures  as  it  does 
our  crabs  and  many  other  aquatic  animals.  The  oars  of 
our  boats  were  fixed  upright  in  the  ground,  to  support  our 
hammocks.  Deep  stillness  prevailed,  only  broken  at  in- 
tervals by  the  blowing  of  the  fresh- water  dolphins,  which 
are  peculiar  to  the  river  net-work  of  the  Orinoco. 

After  eleven  o'clock  such  a  noise  began  in  the  contiguous 
forest,  that  for  the  remainder  of  the  night  all  sleep  was 
impossible.  The  wild  cries  of  animals  rung  through  the 
woods.  Among  the  many  voices  which  resounded  together, 
the  Indians  could  only  recognize  those  which,  after  short 
pauses,  were  heard  singly.  There  was  the  monotonous, 
plaintive  cry  of  the  howling  monkeys,  the  whining,  flute- 
like notes  of  the  small  Bapajous,  the  grunting  murmur  of 
the  striped  nocturnal  ape,  the  fitful  roar  of  the  great  tiger, 
the  cougar,  or  maneless  American  lion,  the  peccary,  the 
sloth,  and  a  host  of  parrots,  parraquas,  and  other  pheasant- 
like birds.  Whenever  the  tigers  approached  the  edge  of 
the  forest,  our  dog,  who  before  had  barked  incessantly, 
came  howling  to  seek  protection  under  the  hammocks. 
Sometimes  the  cry  of  the  tiger  resounded  from  the  branches 
of  a  tree,  and  was  always  then  accompanied  by  the  plain- 
tive, piping  tones  of  the  apes,  who  were  endeavoring  to 
escape  from  the  unwonted  pursuit. 

If  one  asks  the  Indians  why  such  a  continuous  noise  is 
heard  on  certain  nights,  they  answer,  with  a  smile,  that 
"  the  animals  are  rejoicing  in  the  beautiful  moonlight,  and 
celebrating  the  return  of  the  full  moon."  To  me  the  scene 
appeared  rather  to  be  owing  to  an  accidental,  long-con- 
tinued, and  gradually  increasing  conflict  among  the  ani- 
mals. Thus,  for  instance,  the  jaguar  will  pursue  the  pecca- 
ries and  the  tapirs,  which,  densely  crowded  together,  burst 
s  35 


410  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.     [Von  Humboldt 

through  the  barrier  of  tree-like  shrubs  which  opposes  their 
flight.  Terrified  at  the  confusion,  the  monkeys  on  the  tops 
of  the  trees  join  their  cries  with  those  of  the  larger  animals. 
This  arouses  the  tribes  of  birds  who  built  their  nests  in  com- 
munities, and  suddenly  the  whole  animal  world  is  in  a 
state  of  commotion.  Further  experience  taught  us  that  it 
was  by  no  means  always  the  festival  of  moonlight  that 
disturbed  the  stillness  of  the  forest ;  for  we  observed  that 
the  voices  were  loudest  during  violent  storms  of  rain,  or 
when  the  thunder  echoed  and  the  lightning  flashed 
through  the  depths  of  the  wood.  The  good-natured 
Franciscan  monk  who  accompanied  us  through  the  cata- 
racts of  Apures  and  Maypures  to  San  Carlos,  on  the  Rio 
Negro,  and  to  the  Brazilian  frontier,  used  to  say,  when 
apprehensive  of  a  storm  at  night,  "  May  heaven  grant  a 
quiet  night  both  to  us  and  to  the  wild  beasts  of  the 
forest !" 

[The  unpleasant  conditions  of  a  canoe  voyage  on  the  Orinoco  are 
thus  described :] 

The  new  canoe  intended  for  us  was,  like  all  Indian  boats, 
a  trunk  of  a  tree  hollowed  out  partly  by  the  hatchet  and 
partly  by  fire.  It  was  forty  feet  long  and  three  broad. 
Three  persons  could  not  sit  in  it  side  by  side.  These  canoes 
are  so  crank,  and  they  require,  from  their  instability,  a 
cargo  so  equally  distributed,  that  when  you  want  to  rise 
for  an  instant,  you  must  warn  the  rowers  to  lean  to  the 
opposite  side.  Without  this  precaution  the  water  would 
necessarily  enter  the  side  pressed  down.  It  is  difficult  to 
form  an  idea  of  the  inconveniences  that  are  suffered  in 
such  wretched  vessels.  To  gain  something  in  breadth,  a 
sort  of  lattice-work  had  been  constructed  on  the  stern  with 
branches  of  trees,  that  extended  on  each  side  beyond  the 
gunwale.     Unfortunately,  the  toldo,  or  roof  of  leaves,  that 


Von  Humboldt]     SCENERY  IN  VENEZUELA.  411 

covered  this  lattice-work,  was  so  low  that  we  were  obliged 
to  lie  down,  without  seeing  anything,  or,  if  seated,  to  sit 
nearly  double.  The  necessity  of  carrying  the  canoe  across 
the  rapids,  and  even  from  one  river  to  another,  and  the 
fear  of  giving  too  much  hold  to  the  wind,  by  making  the 
toldo  higher,  render  this  construction  necessary  for  vessels 
that  go  up  towards  the  Eio  Negro.  The  toldo  was  intended 
to  cover  four  persons,  lying  on  the  deck  or  lattice-work  of 
brush-wood  ;  but  our  legs  reached  far  bej'ond  it,  and  when 
it  rained  half  our  bodies  were  wet.  Our  couches  consisted 
of  ox-hides  or  tiger-skins  spread  upon  branches  of  trees, 
which  were  painfully  felt  through  so  thin  a  covering.  The 
fore  part  of  the  boat  was  filled  with  Indian  rowers,  fur- 
nished with  paddles,  three  feet  long,  in  the  form  of  spoons. 
They  were  all  naked,  seated  two  by  two,  and  they  kept 
time  in  rowing  with  a  surprising  uniformity,  singing  songs 
of  a  sad  and  monotonous  character.  The  small  cages  con- 
taining our  birds  and  our  monkeys — the  number  of  which 
augmented  as  we  advanced — were  hung  some  to  the  toldo 
and  others  to  the  bow  of  the  boat.  This  was  our  travelling 
menagerie.  Every  night,  when  we  established  our  watch, 
our  collection  of  animals  and  our  instruments  occupied  the 
centre ;  around  these  were  placed,  first,  our  hammocks,  then 
the  hammocks  of  the  Indians;  and  on  the  outside  were 
the  fires,  which  are  thought  indispensable  against  the 
attacks  of  the  jaguar.  About  sunrise  the  monkeys  in  our 
cages  answered  the  cries  of  the  monkeys  of  the  forest. 

In  a  canoe  not  three  feet  wide,  and  so  encumbered,  there 
remained  no  other  place  for  the  dried  plants,  trunks,  sex- 
tant, a  dipping  needle,  and  the  meteorological  instruments, 
than  the  space  below  the  lattice-work  of  branches,  on 
which  we  were  compelled  to  remain  stretched  the  greater 
part  of  the  day.  If  we  wished  to  take  the  least  object  out 
of  a  trunk,  or  to  use  an  instrument,  it  was  necessary  to 


412  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.      [Von  Humboldt 

row  ashore  and  land.  To  these  inconveniences  were  joined 
the  torment  of  the  mosquitoes  which  swarmed  under  the 
toldo,  and  the  heat  radiated  from  the  leaves  of  the  palm- 
trees,  the  upper  surface  of  which  was  continually  exposed 
to  the  solar  rays.  We  attempted  every  instant,  but  always 
without  success,  to  amend  our  situation.  While  one  of  us 
hid  himself  under  a  sheet  to  ward  off  the  insects,  the  other 
insisted  on  having  green  wood  lighted  beneath  the  toldo,  in 
the  hope  of  driving  away  the  mosquitoes  by  the  smoke. 
The  painful  sensations  of  the  eyes,  and  the  increase  of 
heat,  already  stifling,  rendered  both  these  contrivances 
alike  impracticable.  With  some  gayety  of  temper,  with 
feelings  of  mutual  good-will,  and  with  a  vivid  taste  for  the 
majestic  grandeur  of  these  vast  valleys  of  rivers,  travel- 
lers easily  support  evils  that  become  habitual. 

[The  torment  of  insects — mosquitoes  and  venomous  flies  by  day,  and 
the  zancudos  (large  gnats)  by  night — became  almost  insupportable  as 
they  advanced.  On  the  upper  Orinoco  the  mosquitoes  form  the  prin- 
cipal topic  of  conversation,  the  usual  salutations  being,  "  How  did  you 
find  the  gnats  during  the  night  ?"  or,  "  How  are  you  off  for  mosquitoes 
to-day?"     Humboldt  thus  describes  the  situation  :] 

The  lower  strata  of  air,  from  the  surface  of  the  ground 
to  the  height  of  fifteen  or  twenty  feet,  are  absolutely  filled 
with  venomous  insects.  If  in  an  obscure  spot,  for  instance, 
in  the  grottos  of  the  cataracts  formed  by  superincumbent 
blocks  of  granite,  you  direct  your  eyes  towards  the  open- 
ing enlightened  by  the  sun,  you  see  clouds  of  mosquitoes 
more  or  less  thick.  I  doubt  whether  there  be  a  country 
upon  earth  where  man  is  exposed  to  more  cruel  torments 
in  the  rainy  season.  Having  passed  the  fifth  degree  of 
latitude  you  are  somewhat  less  stung ;  but  on  the  upper 
Orinoco  the  stings  are  more  painful,  because  the  heat  and 
the  absolute  want  of  wind  render  the  air  more  burning  and 
more  irritating  in  its  contact  with  the  skin.     "How  com- 


Von  Humboldt]    SCENERY  IN  VENEZUELA.  413 

fortable  people  must  be  in  the  moon !"  said  a  Salive  Indian 
to  Father  Gumilla.  "  She  looks  so  beautiful  and  so  clear, 
that  she  must  be  free  from  mosquitoes."  These  words, 
which  denote  the  infancy  of  a  people,  are  very  remarkable. 
The  satellite  of  the  earth  appears  to  all  savage  nations  the 
abode  of  the  blessed,  the  country  of  abundance.  The  Esqui- 
maux, who  counts  among  his  riches  a  plank  or  the  trunk  of 
a  tree,  thrown  by  the  currents  on  a  coast  destitute  of  vege- 
tation, sees  in  the  moon  plains  covered  with  forests;  the 
Indian  of  the  forest  of  Orinoco  there  beholds  open  savannas, 
where  the  inhabitants  are  never  stung  by  mosquitoes. 

[The  story  of  the  voyage  closes  as  follows  :] 

It  would  bo  difficult  for  me  to  express  the  satisfaction 
we  felt  on  landing  at  Angostura  [the  capital  of  Spanish 
Guiana.]  The  inconveniences  endured  at  sea  in  small 
vessels  are  trivial  in  comparison  with  those  that  are  suf- 
fered under  a  burning  sky,  surrounded  by  swarms  of  mos- 
quitoes, and  lying  stretched  in  a  canoe,  without  the  possi- 
bility of  taking  the  least  bodily  exercise.  In  seventy-five 
days  we  had  performed  a  passage  of  five  hundred  leagues 
— twenty  to  a  degree — on  the  five  great  rivers,  Apure, 
Orinoco,  Atabapo,  Rio  Negro,  and  Cassiquiare ;  and  in  this 
vast  extent  we  had  found  but  a  very  small  number  of  in- 
habited places.  Coming  from  an  almost  desert  country,  we 
were  struck  with  the  bustle  of  the  town,  though  it  contained 
only  six  thousand  inhabitants.  We  admired  the  conven- 
iences which  industry  and  commerce  furnish  to  civilized 
man.  Humble  dwellings  appeared  to  us  magnificent ;  and 
every  person  with  whom  we  conversed  seemed  to  be  en- 
dowed with  superior  intelligence.  Long  privations  give  a 
value  to  the  smallest  enjoyments ;  and  I  cannot  express 
the  pleasure  we  felt  when  we  saw  for  the  first  time  wheaten 
bread  on  the  governor's  table. 

35* 


414  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  TPaez 


THE  LLANEROS  OF  VENEZUELA. 

RAMON   PAEZ. 

[Don  Ramon  Paez,  in  his  "Wild  Scenes  in  South  America ;  or,  Life 
in  the  Llanos  of  Venezuela,"  has  given  us  some  interesting  pictures 
of  a  region  little  known  to  travellers.  These  vast  plains  are  inhabited 
by  a  people  many  of  whom  bear  a  close  resemblance  in  their  habits  to 
the  Argentine  Gauchos.  The  following  selection  is  devoted  to  a  de- 
scription of  this  people  and  their  region  of  habitation.] 

We  left  Ortiz  as  usual,  very  early  the  next  morning, 
stumbling  here  and  there  amidst  the  mass  of  loose  stones 
which  paved  the  way  along  the  winding  bed  of  the  quebrada. 
In  proportion  as  we  advanced  on  our  route  the  hills  de- 
creased in  size,  while  the  loose  stones  seemed  to  increase 
in  quantity.  The  splendid  groves  of  hardy  and  balsamifer- 
ous  trees,  which  near  Ortiz  formed  an  almost  impenetrable 
forest,  gradually  became  less  imposing  in  appearance,  until 
they  were  replaced  by  thickets  of  thorny  bushes,  chiefly 
composed  of  several  species  of  mimosas,  with  a  delicate 
and  feathery  foliage.  The  traveller  accustomed  to  the 
shade  of  a  luxuriant  vegetation,  and  to  the  sight  of  culti- 
vated valleys,  is  struck  by  the  rapid  diminution  of  the 
former,  and  the  total  disappearance  of  the  latter,  as  he 
emerges  from  the  Galeras  of  Ortiz;  yet  he  is  somewhat 
compensated  by  the  almost  overpowering  perfume  shed  by 
masses  of  the  canary-colored  blossoms  with  which  these 
shrubs  are  loaded,  from  the  summits  down  to  the  bending 
branches  that  trail  the  ground  at  every  passing  breeze. 

Suddenly  we  entered  a  widely-extended  tract  of  level 
land  almost  destitute  of  vegetation.  With  the  exception 
of  a  few  clumps  of  palm-trees  with  fan-like  leaves,  nothing 


Pakz]  THE  LLANEROS  OF  VENEZUELA.  415 

but  short  grass  covered  its  entire  surface,  almost  realizing 
the  idea  of  an  "  ocean  covered  with  sea-weed."  A  dense 
mass  of  vapor  pervading  the  atmosphere  obscured  the 
horizon,  while  the  fan-palms,  seen  from  afar,  appeared  like 
ships  enveloped  in  a  fog.  Gradually  the  circle  of  the 
heavens  seemed  to  close  around  us,  until  we  became,  as  it 
were,  encompassed  by  the  sky.  We  were,  in  fact,  treading 
the  shores  of  the  great  basin  of  the  Llanos,  over  one  of 
the  ancient  shoals  or  mesas,  which,  like  successive  terraces, 
now  form  the  border  of  those  grassy  oceans  known  as  the 
Pampas.  This  was  the  Mesa  de  Paya,  the  seat  of  one  of 
the  cattle-farms  to  which  we  were  bound. 

After  wandering  for  nearly  three  hours  over  this  monot- 
onous landscape  without  compass,  and  guided  only  by  cer- 
tain landmarks  known  to  the  vaqueanos,  we  came  unexpect- 
edly upon  the  borders  of  the  Mesa,  which  commands  an 
extensive  view  of  the  lower  savannas.  As  if  by  magic,  the 
dreary  scene  changed  to  one  of  the  most  glorious  pano- 
ramas in  existence.  At  our  feet  lay  a  beautiful  expanse  of 
meadow,  fresh  and  smooth  as  the  best  cultivated  lawn, 
with  troops  of  horses  and  countless  herds  of  cattle  dis- 
persed all  over  the  plain.  Several  glittering  ponds,  alive 
with  all  varieties  of  aquatic  birds,  reflected  upon  their 
limpid  surface  the  broad-leaved  crowns  of  the  fan-palms, 
towering  above  verdant  groves  of  laurel,  amyris,  and  elm- 
like  robles.  Farther  beyond,  and  as  far  as  the  eye  could 
reach,  the  undulating  plain  appeared  like  a  petrified  ocean 
after  the  sweeping  tempest. 

But  I  feel  that  my  descriptions  fall  short  of  the  reality, 
and  that  I  am  unable  to  depict  the  harmonious  effects  of 
light  and  shade,  and  the  blending  of  the  various  tints  of 
green,  blue,  and  purple,  dispersed  over  this  extensive  pano- 
rama; the  towering  palms  gracefully  fanning  the  glowing 
atmosphere   with    their    majestic    crowns   of    broad   and 


416  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Paez 

shining  leaves,  and  myriad  other  beauties  difficult  to  enu- 
merate. 

I  could  scarcely  tear  myself  away  from  the  spot,  so  fas- 
cinated was  I  with  the  novelty  of  the  scene.  My  com- 
panions, more  concerned  for  the  speedy  termination  of  the 
journey  than  the  beautiful  in  nature,  set  off  at  a  brisk 
trot  towards  the  house,  which  was  at  no  great  distance. 
Fearing  to  lose  my  way  among  the  intricate  paths  lead- 
ing to  it,  I  was  compelled  to  follow  in  their  wake,  stop- 
ping occasionally  to  gaze  once  more  upon  those  enchant- 
ing groves,  which  seemed  to  return  me  to  the  highly 
cultivated  fields  and  green  meadows  of  glorious  "Old 
England,"  from  whence  I  had  just  returned. 

On  descending  to  the  plain  below,  my  attention  was 
attracted  to  an  unsightly  group  of  palm-thatched  huts, 
looking  more  like  huge  beehives  than  the  abode  of  human 
beings.  A  formidable  fence  of  palm-trunks  surrounded  the 
premises  and  several  acres  of  ground  beyond.  These  were 
the  corrals,  or  enclosures  where  the  training  of  the  fierce 
herds  was  practised  by  the  hardy  dwellers  of  the  Llanos ; 
but  no  signs  of  cultivation,  or  aught  else  connected  with 
the  rural  occupations  of  the  farmer,  were  visible  in  the 
neighborhood.  Presently  the  cavalcade  stopped  before  the 
gate,  and  all  the  individuals  composing  it  dismounted  and 
began  to  unsaddle  their  horses,  amidst  the  barking  of  a 
legion  of  dogs  and  the  braying  of  all  the  donkeys  in  the 
vicinity. 

This  was  the  hato,  or  cattle-farm,  of  San  Pablo  we  were 
in  quest  of,  famous  in  the  annals  of  the  civil  wars  in  Vene- 
zuela as  the  occasional  head-quarters  of  the  constitutional 
armies,  commanded  by  the  owner  of  this  farm.  Our  leader 
was  received  at  the  entrance  of  his  estate  by  a  grave  and 
elderly  negro  slave,  who  acted  as  overseer,  and  had  under 
his   control    all    the   men   and   property   attached   to   it. 


Paez]  THE  LLANEROS  OF  VENEZUELA.  417 

Kneeling  upon  the  stony  court-yard,  he  kissed  the  hand 
extended  to  him  in  friendly  greeting,  after  which  he  pro- 
ceeded to  unsaddle  his  master's  horse,  which  he  led  to  a 
pond  within  the  enclosure,  where  the  horses  were  watered. 
We  purposed  remaining  a  few  days  at  San  Pablo,  with 
the  object  of  incorporating  some  fresh  relaj-s  of  mules  and 
horses  from  the  abundant  stock  of  this  estate ;  so  we  of 
the  staff  installed  ourselves  under  the  palm-roof  of  our 
rustic  mansion,  while  the  rank  and  file  of  the  expedition 
found  accommodation  in  the  open  barracoons  adjoining  it, 
although  none  of  the  party  had  reason  to  boast  of  being 
better  off  than  his  neighbor. 

"  It  is  sad  when  pleasing  first  impressions  are  obliter- 
ated," remarks  a  sentimental  writer;  "always  painful  to 
become  desenchante  on  a  more  intimate  acquaintance  with 
either  people  or  places."  I  soon  found  that  I  was  not  in 
the  fairy -land  I  had  imagined,  abounding  in  grottos  and 
refreshed  by  sparkling  fountains,  but  in  the  region  of  the 
Llanos,  where  the  French  adage,  Chacun  pour  soi  et  Dieu 
pour  tous,  is  verified  to  its  fullest  extent.  San  Pablo,  with 
its  vaunted  prestige,  and  in  spite  of  its  proximity  to  several 
important  marts,  was  no  better  provided  with  accommoda- 
tions than  the  untidy  douar  of  the  wandering  Arab  of  the 
desert.  A  rickety  table  standing  against  the  wall  for  fear 
of  tumbling  down,  two  or  three  clumsy  cedar  chairs  cov- 
ered with  raw  hide,  and  a  couple  of  grass  hammocks, 
serving  the  double  purpose  of  beds  and  lounges,  constituted 
all  the  furniture  of  the  great  farm.  As  a  substitute  for 
wardrobes  and  hat-stands,  we  were  shown  a  number  of 
deer-antlers  and  bull-horns  embedded  in  the  walls  of  reeds 
and  mud,  on  which  to  hang  our  pouches,  bridles,  etc. 

I  searched  in  vain  on  our  arrival  for  something  like  a 
bowl  in  which  to  lave  my  hands  and  face,  covered  with 
dust  and  parched  by  the  broiling  sun  of  the  savannas. 
i.—bb 
S 


418  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Paez 

Even  water  was  so  scarce  that  it  was  served  to  us  sparingly 
from  a  large  calabash  gourd  used  in  bringing  it  from  the 
river,  nearly  a  mile  distant.  It  is  true  there  was,  within 
the  enclosure  of  the  houses,  a  pond  or  excavation,  made 
while  searching  for  the  remains  of  a  brave  officer  who  fell 
fighting  for  his  country's  freedom.  Sufficient  water  had 
accumulated  there  during  the  rainy  season  to  entitle  it  to 
the  name  of  Laguna  or  Lake  of  Genaro  Vazquez,  the  name 
of  the  aforementioned  hero ;  but  it  was  so  filled  with  bavas, 
— a  small  species  of  alligator, — terrapins,  and  toads,  as  to 
render  the  water  undrinkable. 

But  to  return  to  our  head-quarters,  the  structure  of  which 
struck  me  so  forcibly  at  first  as  a  beehive  of  vast  propor- 
tions, naturally  suggesting  the  idea  of  a  "  land  of  milk  and 
honey."  Unfortunately,  neither  of  these  could  bo  obtained 
for  love  or  money,  although  the  woods  and  pastures  of  the 
estate  abounded  in  both  the  creatures  that  produced  them. 
So  we  were  compelled  to  resort  to  our  reserved  stock  ofpa- 
pelon  to  sweeten  our  coffee,  and  to  its  own  delicious  natural 
aroma  in  the  place  of  milk.  As  to  the  house  itself,  it  only 
differed  from  the  rest  in  that  region  in  being  larger,  and 
perhaps  in  better  order,  than  are  the  generality.  Imagine 
a  pyramidal  structure,  thatched  with  palm-leaves,  the  roof 
slanting  to  within  a  few  feet  of  the  ground,  and  supported 
on  stout  posts  of  live  timber,  which  served  also  as  frame- 
work for  the  walls,  and  you  will  have  some  idea  of  the  style 
of  architecture  peculiar  to  the  country.  Doors  and  windows 
are  of  no  account  in  a  country  uniformly  warm  throughout 
the  year,  and  where  the  inhabitants  possess  few  articles 
capable  of  tempting  the  cupidity  of  light-fingered  gentry. 
Therefore  an  ox-hide  stretched  across  the  openings  left  in 
the  walls  to  admit  light  and  the  inmates  is  all  that  is  re- 
quired to  keep  off  uninvited  guests.  As  an  exception  to 
this  rule,  our  mansion  of  San  Pablo  had  one  or  two  rooms 


Pakz]  THE  LLANEROS  OF  VENEZUELA.  419 

set  apart  for  invalids,  provided  with  doors  and  windows  of 
solid  planks  of  timber  in  the  rough  ;  the  other  apartments 
had  the  upper  half  of  the  walls  purposely  left  open,  to 
admit  full  and  free  entrance  of  light  and  air.  A  narrow 
piazza  or  corridor,  formed  by  the  slanting  of  the  roof  to 
within  five  feet  of  the  ground,  ran  along  the  entire  length 
of  the  main  building,  and  was  intended  more  as  a  protec- 
tion to  the  rooms  against  the  sun  and  rains  than  as  a  resort 
for  the  inmates. 

The  first  step,  on  arriving,  was  to  secure  a  place  in  the 
open  reception-room  for  my  own  chattels  and  hammock, 
before  all  the  spare  posts  and  hooks  had  been  appropriated 
by  my  companions.  This  accomplished,  I  proceeded  to  a 
thorough  examination  of  my  saddle  and  its  accoutrements, 
so  as  to  have  them  adapted  to  the  peculiar  mode  of  travel- 
ling in  the  Llanos.  This  care  I  left  to  the  good  judgment 
of  our  attendants,  not  being  myself  sufficiently  skilled  in 
the  art  of  mending,  greasing,  and  putting  in  order  the  com- 
plicated gear  of  our  riding  equipment.  In  the  same  pre- 
dicament were  also  my  two  English  companions,  and  our 
worthy  doctor;  a  kind  word,  however,  addressed  to  the 
good-natured  Llaneros — especially  if  accompanied  with  a 
drop  of  aguardiente — never  failed  of  enlisting  their  services 
in  our  favor. 

Habit,  as  well  as  necessity,  is  sometimes  the  mother  of 
invention,  as  my  experience  soon  taught  me  that,  to  get 
along  in  my  new  quarters,  it  would  be  requisite  to  set  aside 
the  airs  and  insignia  of  civilization.  Divesting  myself, 
therefore,  of  all  such  superfluities  as  coat,  cravat,  pants, 
and  shoes,  I  adopted  the  less  cumbrous  attire  of  the 
Llaneros,  consisting  mainly  of  breeches  tightly  buttoned 
at  the  knee,  and  a  loose  shirt,  usually  of  a  bright  checkered 
pattern.  Shoes  are  altogether  dispensed  with  in  a  country 
like  the  Llanos,  subject  to  drenching  rains,  and  covered 


420  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Paez 

with  mud  during  a  great  portion  of  the  year,  besides  the 
inconvenience  they  offer  to  the  rider  in  holding  the  stirrup 
securely  when  in  chase  of  wild  animals.  The  leg,  however, 
is  well  protected  from  the  thorns  and  cutting  grass  of  the 
savannas  by  a  neat  legging  or  botin,  made  of  buff-skin, 
tightly  buttoned  down  the  calf  by  knobs  or  studs  of  highly 
polished  silver.  Another  characteristic  article  of  dress, 
and  one  in  which  the  wearers  take  great  pride,  is  the  linen 
checkered  handkerchief  loosely  worn  around  the  head. 
Its  object  is  ostensibly  to  protect  it  from  the  intensity  of 
the  sun's  rays;  but  the  constant  habit  of  wearing  it  has 
rendered  the  handkerchief  as  indispensable  a  head-dress  to 
the  Llaneros  as  is  the  cravat  to  the  neck  of  the  city 
gentleman. 

[The  traveller  proceeds  with  further  details  of  the  life  of  these  people, 
and  with  an  account  of  their  half-savage  method  of  slaughtering  their 
cattle ;  which  we  can  well  omit  for  a  more  general  descriptive  passage.] 

The  people  inhabiting  the  vast  region  of  the  Llanos, 
although  claiming  descent  from  the  old  Castilian  race,  once 
the  rulers  of  the  land,  are,  in  fact,  an  amalgamation  of  the 
various  castes  composing  the  present  population  of  the 
republic.  These  are  the  whites,  or  the  descendants  of 
the  European  settlers  of  the  country;  the  aboriginals  or 
Indians,  and  a  great  portion  of  blacks.  In  most  of  the 
towns  the  native  whites  preponderate  over  all  others,  and 
represent  the  wealth  as  well  as  the  most  respectable  por- 
tion of  the  community ;  in  the  villages  and  thinly  populated 
districts  of  the  plains  a  mongrel  breed,  resulting  from  the 
admixture  of  these  three,  constitute  the  majority  of  the 
inhabitants.  These  are  dispersed  over  an  area  of  twenty- 
seven  thousand  square  miles,  making  a  proportion  of  only 
fourteen  individuals,  out  of  a  population  of  three  hundred 
and  ninety  thousand,  to  every  square  mile. 


Pabz]  THE  LLANEROS  OF  VENEZUELA.  421 

This  race,  although  vastly  inferior  to  the  first  in  mental 
capacity  and  moral  worth,  is  endowed  with  a  physique 
admirably  adapted  to  endure  the  fatigues  of  a  life  beset 
with  dangers  and  hardships.  Cast  upon  a  wild  and 
apparently  interminable  plain,  the  domain  of  savage  beasts 
and  poisonous  reptiles,  their  lot  has  been  to  pass  all  their 
life  in  a  perpetual  struggle,  not  only  with  the  primitive 
possessors  of  the  land,  but  with  the  elements  themselves, 
often  as  fierce  as  they  are  grand.  When  it  is  not  the 
alarm  of  the  dreaded  viper  or  the  spotted  jaguar,  it  is  the 
sudden  inroad  of  vast  inundations,  which,  spreading  with 
fearful  rapidity  over  the  land,  sweep  off  in  one  moment 
their  frail  habitations  and  their  herds.  Nevertheless  this 
insecure  existence,  this  continual  struggle  between  life  and 
death,  between  rude  intellect  and  matter,  has  for  the 
Llanero  a  sort  of  fascination,  perhaps  not  so  well  under- 
stood by  people  possessing  the  blessings  and  ideas  of  civili- 
zation, but  without  which  he  could  not  exist,  especially  if 
deprived  of  his  horse  and  cast  among  the  mountain  region 
north  of  his  cherished  plains. 

The  modern  Centaur  of  the  desolate  regions  of  the  New 
World,  the  Llanero  spends  his  life  on  horseback  ;  all  his 
actions  and  exertions  must  be  assisted  by  his  horse ;  for 
him  the  noblest  effort  of  man  is  when,  gliding  swiftly  over 
the  boundless  plain  and  bending  over  his  spirited  charger, 
he  overturns  an  enemy  or  masters  a  wild  bull.  The  follow- 
ing lines  of  Victor  Hugo  seem  as  though  copied  from  this 
model :  "  He  would  not  fight  but  on  horseback  ;  he  forms  but 
one  person  with  his  horse ;  he  lives  on  horseback ;  trades, 
buys,  and  sells  on  horseback  ;  eats,  drinks,  sleeps,  and  dreams 
on  horseback."  Like  the  Arab  he  considers  his  horse  his 
best  and  most  reliable  friend  on  earth,  often  depriving  him- 
self of  rest  and  comfort  after  a  hard  day's  journey  to  afford 
his  faithful  companion  abundance  of  food  and  water. 

36 


422  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Paez 

Few  people  in  the  world  are  better  riders  than  the 
Llaneros  of  Venezuela,  if  we  except  perhaps  the  Gauchos 
of  Buenos  Ayres,  or  equal  to  either  in  the  dexterity  they 
display  in  the  wonderful  feats  of  horsemanship  to  which 
their  occupations  in  the  field  inure  them  from  childhood. 
Their  horses,  moreover,  are  so  well  trained  to  the  various 
evolutions  of  their  profession,  that  animal  and  rider  seem 
to  possess  but  one  existence. 

The  life  of  the  Llanero,  like  that  of  the  Gaucho  his  pro- 
totype, is  singularly  interesting,  and  resembles  in  many 
respects  that  of  others  who,  like  them,  have  their  abode 
in  the  midst  of  extensive  plains.  Thus  they  have  been 
aptly  styled  the  Cossacks  and  the  Arabs  of  the  New  World, 
with  both  of  whom  they  have  many  points  in  common, 
but  more  especially  do  they  resemble  the  last  named. 
When  visiting  the  famous  Constantino  Gallery  of  paintings 
at  Versailles,  I  was  struck  with  the  resemblance  of  the 
Algerine  heroes  of  Horace  Vernet  to  our  own,  revealing 
at  once  the  Moorish  descent  of  the  latter,  independently 
of  other  characteristic  peculiarities. 

[Sir  Francis  Head,  in  his  "  Journeys  across  the  Pampas,"  gives  the 
following  description  of  the  infancy  of  a  closely  similar  race.] 

11  Born  in  the  rude  hut,  the  infant  Gaucho  receives  little 
attention,  but  is  left  to  swing  from  the  roof  in  a  bullock's 
hide,  the  corners  of  which  aro  drawn  towards  each  other 
by  four  strips  of  hide.  In  the  first  year  of  his  life  he 
crawls  about  without  clothes,  and  I  have  more  than  once 
seen  a  mother  give  a  child  of  this  age  a  sharp  knife,  a  foot 
long,  to  play  with.  As  soon  as  he  walks,  his  infantine 
amusements  are  those  which  prepare  him  for  the  occupa- 
tions of  his  future  life  ;  with  a  lazo  made  of  twine  he  tries 
to  catch  little  birds,  or  the  dogs,  as  they  walk  in  and  out 
of  the  hut.     By  the  time  he  is  four  years  old  he  is  on 


Paez]  THE  LLANEROS  OF  VENEZUELA.  423 

horseback,  and  immediately  becomes  useful  by  assisting  to 
drive  the  cattle  into  the  corral." 

When  sufficiently  strong  to  cope  with  a  wild  animal,  the 
young  Llanero  is  taken  to  the  majada  or  great  cattle-pen, 
and  there  hoisted  upon  the  bare  back  of  a  fierce  young 
bull.  "With  his  face  turned  towards  the  animal's  tail,  which 
he  holds  in  lieu  of  bridle,  and  his  little  legs  twisted  round 
the  neck  of  his  antagonist,  he  is  whirled  round  and  round 
at  a  furious  rate.  His  position,  as  may  be  imagined,  is 
anything  but  equestrian ;  yet,  the  fear  of  coming  in  con. 
tact  with  the  bull's  horns  compels  the  rider  to  hold  on  until, 
by  a  dexterous  twist  of  the  animal's  tail  while  he  jumps 
off  its  back,  he  succeeds  in  overturning  his  antagonist. 

In  proportion  as  he  grows  older  and  stronger,  a  more 
manly  amusement  is  afforded  him  with  the  breaking  in  of 
a  wild  colt.  This  being,  however,  a  more  dangerous  ex- 
periment, in  which  many  a  young  eagle  "is  rendered  a 
lame  duck,"  he  is  provided  with  the  necessary  accoutre- 
ments to  withstand  the  terrible  struggle  with  the  animal. 
Firmly  seated  upon  his  back  and  brandishing  overhead  a 
chaparro  vine  for  a  whip,  the  apprentice  is  thus  installed  in 
his  new  office,  from  which  he  must  not  descend  until  the 
brute  is  perfectly  subdued;  the  coil  of  lazo  in  the  hands  of 
his  merciless  instructor  would  be  the  least  evil  awaiting 
him  should  he  otherwise  escape  safe  and  sound  from  the 
desperate  kicks  and  plunges  of  the  horse. 

Here  commences  what  we  may  term  the  public  life  of 
the  Llanero ;  his  education  is  now  considered  complete. 
From  this  moment  all  his  endeavors  and  ambition  will  be 
to  rival  his  companions  in  the  display  of  physical  force, 
which  he  shows  to  an  admirable  decrree  when,  armed  with 
his  tough  lazo,  he  pursues  the  wild  animals  of  his  domain. 
If  a  powerful  bull  or  wild  horse  tries  to  escape  into  the 
open  plain,  the  cavulier  unfurls  the  noose  which  is  always 


424  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Keller 

ready  by  his  side,  and  the  fugitive  is  quickly  brought  back 
to  the  corral.  Should  the  thong  give  way  under  the  im- 
petuous flight  of  the  animal,  the  rider  seizes  him  by  the 
tail,  and  whirling  round  suddenly,  pulls  towards  him  with 
so  much  force  as  to  cause  his  immediate  overthrow. 

In  all  these  exercises  the  roving  cavalier  of  the  Llanos 
acquires  that  feeling  of  security  and  enduring  disposition 
for  which  he  is  famous.  Unfortunately,  it  is  often  turned 
to  account  in  disturbing  the  balance  of  power  among  his 
more  enlightened  countrymen ;  for  he  is  always  ready  to 
join  the  first  revolutionary  movement  offering  him  the 
best  chance  for  equipping  himself  with  arms  of  all  descrip- 
tions. Next  to  the  horse,  the  Llanero  esteems  those 
weapons  which  give  him  a  superiority  over  his  fellow- 
creatures, — viz.,  a  lance,  a  blunderbuss,  and  a  fine  sword. 
If  he  is  unprovided  with  either  of  these,  he  considers  him- 
self a  miserable  and  degraded  being,  and  all  his  efforts  will 
tend  to  gratify  this  favorite  vanity  even  at  the  risk  of  his 
own  life.  Therefore  he  goes  to  war,  because  he  is  sure,  if 
victorious,  of  finding  the  battle-field  covered  with  these 
tempting  trophies  of  his  ambition.  In  this,  unfortunately, 
he  is  too  often  encouraged  by  a  host  of  unprincipled  poli- 
ticians, who,  not  wishing  to  earn  a  livelihood  by  fair  means, 
are  eternally  plotting  against  the  powers  that  be. 


THE  FORESTS  OF  THE  AMAZON  AND  MADEIRA  RIVERS. 

FRANZ   KELLER. 

[The  author  of  the  following  selection,  with  his  father,  was  sent  in 
1867,  by  the  Minister  of  Public  Works  at  Kio  Janeiro,  to  explore  the 
Madeira,  and  to  project  a  railroad  along  its  banks  where  the  rapids 
rendered  navigation  impossible.  His  observations  during  this  journey 
are  given  in  "  The  Amazon  and  Madeira  Rivers,"  from  which  we  ex- 
tract his  remarks  concerning  the  Brazilian  forests.] 


Keller]  FORESTS  OF  THE  AMAZON  AND  MADEIRA.     425 

Everywhere  the  decomposing  organisms  serve  as  bases 
for  new  formations.  No  particle,  however  small,  is  ever 
lost  in  the  great  household  of  Nature ;  but  nowhere  is  her 
restless  activity  so  conspicuous  as  in  the  tropics,  where  the 
succession  of  vegetable  decay  and  life  is  so  much  more 
rapid  than  it  is  in  colder  climes ;  and  which  will  strike  the 
reflecting  student  more  especially  in  the  wide,  forest-clad 
valleys  of  tropical  America,  and  on  the  Amazon  and  its 
affluents. 

On  the  heights  of  the  Cordillera  the  process  is  already 
at  work.  The  waste  of  the  mountain-slopes,  broken  off  by 
rills  and  torrents,  and  carried  by  them  into  the  main  river, 
slowly  drifts  down-stream  in  the  form  of  gravel-banks, 
until,  scattered  and  rent  asunder  in  a  thousand  ways,  it 
finally  takes  permanent  form  as  light-green  islands,  which 
are  soon  covered  and  protected  with  a  dense  coat  of  vege- 
tation. 

As  every  zone  of  geologic  formation  in  the  extensive 
valley  adds  its  tribute,  these  banks  are  a  kind  of  mineral- 
ogical  collection,  which  shows  samples  of  all  the  rocks  on 
the  river-banks,  with  the  exception,  perhaps,  of  light 
pumice-stone,  the  produce  of  the  volcanoes  of  the  Andes, 
which  drifts  down-stream  in  large  pieces,  and  is  highly 
prized  by  the  Tapuia  population  (on  the  lower  course)  for 
sharpening  and  cleaning  their  weapons  and  tools.  Even 
when  not  picked  up  by  hunter  or  fisher,  it  is  not  lost.  It 
will  be  arrested  by  some  snag  or  projection  of  the  shore,  it 
will  so  get  embedded  in  the  newly-forming  sediment,  and 
thousands  of  years  hence  its  silicic  acid  will  afford  the 
necessary  material  for  the  hard  glassy  bark  of  a  bambu- 
sacea,  or  the  sharp  edge  of  a  reed.  When  the  currents  are 
not  strong  enough  to  move  the  larger  banks,  they  at  least 
carry  sand  and  earth  with  them,  and  deposit  them  as 
shoals  or  new  alluvion  at  less  exposed  spots.  .  .  . 

30* 


426  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Keller 

The  undermined  concave  shores  are  sometimes  a  serious 
danger  to  the  passing  barque,  as  even  the  slight  ripple  of 
a  canoe  is  sufficient  to  bring  down  the  loosely  overhanging 
earth,  often  covered  with  gigantic  trunks.  These  concave 
sides,  with  their  fallen  trees  and  their  clusters  of  sinking 
javary-palms,  supported  sometimes  by  only  a  tangled  net- 
work of  tough  lianas,  give  to  the  scenery  that  peculiar 
character  of  primeval  wildness  which  is  so  charming  to 
foreigners. 

When  one  has  climbed  up  the  steep  shore,  often  forming 
huge  terrace-like  elevations,  and  has  safely  passed  through 
a  labyrinth  of  interwoven  roots  and  creepers  into  the  in- 
terior of  the  forest,  which  is  getting  freer  from  underwood 
at  some  distance  from  the  river,  he  is  oppressed  with  the 
sensation  of  awe  and  wonder  felt  by  man  on  entering  one 
of  the  venerable  edifices  of  antiquity. 

A  mysterious  twilight  encompasses  us,  which  serves  to 
intensify  the  radiance  of  the  occasional  sunbeam  as  it  falls 
on  a  glossy  palm-leaf,  or  on  a  large  bunch  of  purple  orchid- 
flowers.  Splendid  trunks,  some  of  them  from  twenty  to 
thirty  feet  in  diameter,  rise  like  so  many  pillars  supporting 
the  dense  green  vault  of  foliage ;  and  every  variety  of  tall, 
graceful  palms,  spare  and  bushy,  and  bearing  heavy  berries 
of  bright  yellow  or  red,  struggle  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  the 
light,  from  which  they  are  shut  out  by  the  neighboring 
giants,  of  which  the  figueira  (or  wild  fig-tree)  is  one  of  the 
most  striking,  in  the  dimensions  of  its  crown  and  stem, 
and  in  the  strange  shape  of  its  roots,  which  project  like 
huge  outworks.  These  seem  to  grow  in  all  directions, 
forming  props,  stays,  and  cross-bars  wherever  they  are 
wanted,  just  as  if  the  whole  were  a  soft  plastic  mass,  the 
sole  purpose  of  which  was  to  supply,  with  a  minimum  of* 
material,  as  much  stability  as  possible  to  the  trunk,  whose 
wood  is  of  extreme  softness  and  whose  roots  are  not  deep. 


Keller]  FORESTS  OF  THE  AMAZON  AND  MADEIRA.     427 

The  pachiuba-palm  (Iriartea  exorhiza)  and  some  species  of 
Cecropiae  exhibit  other  extravagances  in  their  roots.  They 
appear  as  if  standing  on  stilts,  the  real  trunks  only  begin- 
ning at  eight  or  ten  feet  above  ground. 

But,  more  than  all,  it  is  the  profusion  of  orchids  and 
Bromeliae  that  excites  our  admiration.  These  bright  chil- 
dren of  the  tropics  envelop  with  dense  foliage  as  well  the 
fallen  and  mouldering  trunks  as  those  yet  upstanding  in 
full  vigor  and  bloom,  thus  forming  hanging  gardens  of 
astounding  magnificence,  which  reveal  leaves  and  flowers 
of  the  most  irregular  shapes  and  colors.  Everywhere,  on 
the  branches  and  on  the  ground,  and  even  from  out  the 
fissures  of  the  bare  rock,  light  ferns  and  rich  moss  spring 
up  and  clothe  the  decaying  trunks  with  fresh  green.  Of 
mosses  and  ferns,  especially  tree-ferns,  we  found  a  greater 
exuberance  and  a  larger  variety,  in  species  as  well  as  in 
individuals,  in  the  Southern  provinces  of  the  empire,  Sao 
Paulo  and  Parana ;  but  for  splendid  palms  and  gigantic 
dicotyledons  the  North  is  decidedly  the  richer  of  the  two. 

Without  the  aid  of  the  pencil  it  is  indeed  scarcely  pos- 
sible to  give  an  adequate  idea  of  the  magnificence  of  this 
vegetation,  especially  of  the  manner  in  which  the  different 
forms  are  grouped.  We  may  see,  it  is  true,  in  our  own 
hot-houses,  well-trimmed  palms,  beautiful  orchids  with  their 
abnormal  blossoms,  and  Aroidea>  with  their  bright,  sappy, 
sometimes  regularly  perforated,  leaves;  but  how  different 
is  this  from  the  virgin  forest,  wherein  Nature,  undisturbed 
by  man,  has  created  her  own  prodigies,  and  where  no 
narrow  pots  separate  her  children  from  the  maternal  soil, 
and  where  no  dim  roof  of  glass  intervenes  between  them 
and  the  blue  ether!  Nor,  in  our  carefully  tended  hot- 
houses, is  the  e}-e  ever  gratified  with  such  agreeable  con- 
trasts as  are  afforded  by  the  silver-gray  and  rust-brown 
tints  of  the  decayed  leaf  of  the  palm  or  the  fern -tree,  or 


428  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Keller 

the  black  bark  of  the  rotting  trunk,  with  the  blazing 
scarlet  of  some  heliconia  blossom.  How  difficult  it  must 
be  to  give  to  every  plant,  especially  to  orchids,  the  exact 
quantity  of  light,  warmth,  and  moisture  it  requires,  can  be 
understood  only  by  those  who  have  seen  clusters  of  them 
hidden  in  the  deep  shade  of  the  tree-crowns,  while  others 
are  exposed  to  the  scorching  rays  of  the  sun  in  the  vicinity 
of  a  river  or  in  some  clearer  part  of  the  forest ;  some  species 
thriving  on  the  bare  rock  almost,  and  others  clinging  fast 
with  their  white  rootlets  to  the  moist  rotting  bark  of  a 
tree.  .  .  . 

But  of  far  greater  importance  to  the  half-civilized  river- 
ines  than  either  palms  or  orchids,  for  whose  beauties  they 
have  no  eye,  are  the  cacao  and  the  caoutchouc-tree  (Siphonia 
elastica),  products  of  the  virgin  forest  essential  to  the 
future  prosperity  of  the  whole  country. 

Although  India  contributes  to  the  supply  of  caoutchouc, 
the  precious  resin  which  is  transformed  into  a  thousand 
different  shapes  every  year  in  the  factories  of  Europe  and 
North  America,  and  sent  to  the  ends  of  the  earth,  it  cannot 
compete  with  Brazil,  which  takes  the  first  place  among 
the  rubber-producing  countries,  in  respect  as  well  of  the 
vastness  of  its  export  of  the  material  as  of  its  superior 
quality. 

On  the  shores  of  the  Amazon  its  production,  it  is  true, 
has  already  been  diminished  by  unreasonable  treatment  of 
the  trees ;  the  idea  of  replacing  the  old  ones  by  young  sap- 
lings never  having  presented  itself,  apparently,  to  the  mind 
of  the  indolent  population ;  but  the  seringaes,  or  woods  of 
rubber-trees,  on  the  banks  of  the  Madeira,  the  Puriis,  and 
other  tributaries  of  the  main  river,  still  continue  to  furnish 
extraordinary  quantities  of  it.  The  province  of  Amazon 
alone  exports  more  than  fifty  thousand  arrobus  (one  mil- 
lion six  hundred  thousand  pounds)  yearly,  while  the  total 


Keller]  FORESTS  OF  THE  AMAZON  AND  MADEIRA.     429 

of  the  exports  of  the  whole  basin  slightly  exceeds  four 
hundred  thousand  arrobas,  or  twelve  million  eight  hundred 
thousand  pounds,  per  annum.  .  .  . 

Unfortunately,  there  has  not  been  until  now  the  slightest 
attempt  made  to  cultivate  this  useful  tree;  and  all  the 
caoutchouc  exported  from  Para  is  still  obtained  from  the 
original  seringa  groves.  The  trees  of  course  suffer,  as  they 
naturally  would  under  the  best  of  treatment,  from  the 
repeated  tapping  and  drawing-off  of  their  sap,  and  the 
rubber  collectors,  therefore,  must  look  about  for  new 
groves  of  the  tree  in  the  unexplored  valleys  of  the  more 
distant  interior. 

The  planting  of  the  Siphonia  elastica  would  be  a  more 
profitable  investment,  as  it  yields  the  precious  milk  in  the 
comparatively  short  space  of  twenty  or  twenty-five  years ; 
but,  under  the  combined  influence  of  the  indolence  of  the 
mestizoes  and  the  shortsightedness  of  the  government, 
measures  to  that  end  will  be  adopted  and  carried  into  effect 
only  when  the  rubber  exportation  shall  have  diminished 
with  the  destruction  of  the  trees,  and  when  European  and 
North  American  manufacturers  shall  have  found  out  a 
more  or  less  appropriate  substitute  for  the  too  costly  resin. 

Near  the  Praia  de  Tamandua  we  acquainted  ourselves 
with  all  the  particulars  respecting  the  collection  and 
preparation  of  the  caoutchouc  at  the  cottage  of  a  Bolivian 
serin^ueiro,  Don  Domingo  Leigue.  As  I  have  already 
stated,  the  Siphonia  grows,  or  at  least  thrives,  only  on  a 
soil  wherein  its  stem  is  annually  submerged  by  the  floods  to 
the  height  of  three  feet  or  more.  The  best  ground  for  it, 
therefore,  is  the  iyapo,  the  lowest  and  most  recent  deposit 
of  the  river;  and  there,  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the 
seringaes,  may  be  seen  the  low  thatches  of  the  gatherer's 
huts,  wretched  hovels  mostly,  rendered  tenan  table  during 
the   inundations  by  the  device  of  raising   the   floors  on 


430  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Keller 

wooden  piles  of  seven  feet  height,  in  which  the  canoe,  the 
seringueiro's  indispensable  horse,  also  finds  a  protected 
harbor.  Unenviable  truly  must  bo  the  life  of  the  happy 
proprietor,  who  has  nothing  to  do  in  the  seringa!  during 
the  wet  season,  and  who  then  has  ample  leisure  to  calculate 
exactly  the  intervals  between  his  fits  of  ague,  and  to  let 
himself  be  devoured  by  carapands,  piums,  motucas,  and 
mucuims ;  under  which  euphonious  names  are  known  some 
of  the  most  terrible  of  insect  pests. 

Narrow  paths  lead  from  the  cottage,  through  the  dense 
underwood,  to  each  separate  tree ;  and,  as  soon  as  the  dry 
season  sets  in,  the  inmate  of  the  palace  just  described  be- 
takes himself  with  his  hatchet  into  the  seringa!,  to  cut 
little  holes  in  the  bark.  The  milk-white  sap  immediately 
begins  to  exude  into  pieces  of  bamboo  tied  below,  over 
little  clay  cups  set  under  the  gashes  to  prevent  their  trick- 
ling: down  the  stems.  The  collector  travels  thus  from 
trunk  to  trunk;  and,  to  facilitate  operations,  on  his  re- 
turn visit  he  pours  the  contents  of  the  bamboos  into  a 
large  calabash  provided  with  liana  straps,  which  he  empties 
at  home  into  one  of  those  large  turtle-shells  so  auxiliary 
to  housekeeping  in  these  regions,  serving  as  they  do  for 
troughs,  basins,  etc. 

Without  any  delay  he  sets  about  the  smoking  process,  as 
the  resinous  parts  will  separate  after  a  while,  and  the 
quality  of  the  rubber  so  become  inferior.  An  earthen  jar, 
without  bottom  and  with  a  narrow  neck,  is  set  by  way  of 
chimney  over  a  fire  of  dry  urucury,  or  uauassu  palm-nuts, 
whose  smoke  alone,  strange  to  say,  has  the  effect  of  in- 
stantly coagulating  the  caoutchouc  sap,  which,  in  this 
state,  greatly  resembles  rich  cow's  milk.  The  workman, 
sitting  beside  this  "  chimney,"  through  which  roll  dense 
clouds  of  a  smothering  white  smoke,  from  a  small  calabash 
pours  a  little  of  the  milk  on  a  sort  of  light  wooden  shovel, 


Keller]  FORESTS  OF  THE  AMAZON  AND  MADEIRA.     431 

always  careful,  by  proper  management  of  the  latter,  to 
distribute  it  evenly  over  the  surface.  Thrusting  the  shovel 
into  the  thick  smoke  over  the  opening  of  the  jar,  he  turns 
it  several  times  to  and  fro  with  great  rapidity,  when  the 
milk  is  seen  to  consolidate  and  to  take  a  grayish-yellow 
tinge. 

Thus  he  puts  layer  upon  layer,  until  at  last  the  caout- 
chouc on  both  sides  of  the  wood  has  reached  about  an  inch 
in  thickness,  when  he  thinks  the  "  plancha"  ready.  Cutting 
it  on  one  side,  he  takes  it  off  the  shovel  and  suspends  it  in 
the  sun  to  dry,  as  there  is  always  some  water  between  the 
several  layers,  which  should,  if  possible,  evaporate.  A  good 
workman  is  thus  able  to  prepare  five  or  six  pounds  of  solid 
seringa  in  an  hour.  The  plancha,  from  its  initial  color  of  a 
clear  silver-gray,  turns  shortly  into  a  yellow,  and  finally 
becomes  the  well-known  dark  brown  of  the  rubber,  such  as 
it  is  exported. 

The  more  uniform,  the  denser  and  freer  of  bubbles,  the 
whole  mass  is  found  to  be,  the  better  is  its  quality  and  the 
higher  the  price  it  fetches.  Almost  double  the  value  is 
obtained  for  the  first-rate  article  over  that  of  the  most  in- 
ferior quality,  the  so-called  sernamby  or  cabe<ja  de  negro 
(negro's  head)  ;  which  is  nothing  but  the  drops  collected  at 
the  foot  of  the  trees,  with  the  remains  of  the  milk  scraped 
out  of  the  bottoms  of  the  calabashes.  The  rubber  of  India 
is  said  to  be  much  like  this  sernamby,  and,  like  it,  to  be 
mixed  with  sand  and  small  pieces  of  bark.  By  way  of 
testing  the  quality,  every  plancha  is  cut  through  again  at 
Para;  by  which  means  discovery  is  made,  not  only  of  the 
bubbles,  but  also  of  any  adulteration  that  might  be  effected 
with  the  milk  of  the  mangaba,  that  fine  plant  with  dark 
glossy  leaves,  now  found  so  often  in  European  saloons 
under  the  erroneous  name  of  rubber-plant.  .  .  . 

The  wild  cacao,  with  its  large  lancet-shaped  hanging 


432  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Keller 

leaves,  and  its  cucumber-like  fruit  springing  directly  from 
the  stem,  is  one  of  the  characteristic  features  of  the  virgem 
[or  solid  soil],  on  which  it  often  forms  dense  thickets,  which 
are  all  the  more  impenetrable  that  the  boughs — exhibiting 
frequently  at  the  same  time  the  small  reddish  flowers  and 
the  ripe  golden  fruit,  in  which  the  seeds  lie  embedded  in  a 
sweet  white  marrow — bend  to  the  ground  and  there  take 
root  again. 

But  the  india-rubber  and  the  cacao  are  not  the  only 
treasures  worth  collecting  in  these  forests.  Even  now  the 
export  of  the  Para  nuts,  the  fruit  of  the  Bertholletia 
excelsa,  yields  an  annual  revenue  of  two  hundred  thousand 
dollars ;  and  the  copaiba  oil  and  the  urucu,  the  seeds  of  the 
Bixa  orellana,  used  for  dyeing,  about  one  hundred  thou- 
sand dollars.  These  sums  seem  small  enough,  it  is  true, 
but  there  are  perhaps  a  hundred  times  those  values  of  the 
rich-flavored  nuts  rotting  unheeded  in  the  forests,  and 
above  a  score  of  other  rich  oily  seeds,  at  present  collected 
only  for  the  use  of  the  natives,  not  to  mention  several 
resins  which  yield  the  finest  varnishes,  plants  giving  the 
most  brilliant  hues,  and  others  with  fibres  that  would  serve 
not  only  for  the  finest  weavings,  but  also  for  the  strongest 
ropes  ;  besides  about  forty  of  the  most  indispensable  drugs, 
all  which  might  become  most  valuable  articles  of  export.  .  .  . 

Notwithstanding  the  fertility  of  tropical  vegetation,  I 
doubt  whether  any  other  part  of  the  world,  in  the  same 
latitude,  can  offer  as  great  a  number  of  useful  plants  as 
does  the  Amazon  Valley ;  and  now,  when  all-transforming 
steam  is  about  to  open  up  to  us  this  rich  emporium,  Eu- 
ropean industry  should  take  advantage  of  the  hitherto 
neglected  treasures.  AVhat  might  not  be  done  with  the 
fibres,  some  of  which  surpass  our  hemp  and  flax  in  all  re- 
spects? The  curaua,  for  example,  a  sort  of  wild  pine-apple, 
gives  a  delicate  transparent  flax  of  a  silky  lustre,  such  as 


Keller]  FORESTS  OF  THE  AMAZON  AND  MADEIRA.     433 

is  used  in  the  Philippine  Islands,  on  a  large  scale,  it  appears. 
It  is  sold  under  the  name  of  palha  at  Rio  de  Janeiro.  The 
tucum  and  the  j  a  vary  would  make  excellent  ropes,  cords, 
nets,  etc.,  well  calculated  to  resist  moisture  and  rot ;  and 
the  piassaba,  the  murity,  etc.,  would  readily  supply  solid 
brushes,  brooms,  hammocks,  hats,  baskets,  mats;  while  the 
snow-white  bast  of  others  would  give  excellent  paper. 

The  lianas  or  cipos  of  these  countries  are,  besides  their 
minor  uses,  quite  indispensable  to  the  half-civilized  natives 
for  the  construction  of  their  light  cottages,  taking  the 
place  (as  they  do)  of  our  nails  and  cramp-irons,  beams, 
posts,  and  rafters.  The  whole  palm-leaf  roof  is  fastened, 
and  artificially  interwoven  and  intertwined,  with  tough 
creepers  of  nearly  an  inch  thickness.  .  .  . 

In  the  hot  lowlands  of  the  Amazon,  in  the  shade  of  end- 
less forest,  there  is  many  an  herb  of  mj-sterious  virtue,  as 
yet  known  only  to  wild  Indian  tribes,  while  the  fame  of 
others  has  already  spread  over  the  ocean.  Who  has  not 
heard  of  the  urary,  or  curare,  the  quick  arrow-poison  which, 
in  the  hands  of  clever  physiologists  and  physicians,  promises 
not  only  to  become  a  valuable  drug,  but  to  give  us  inter- 
esting disclosures  on  the  activit}-  of  the  nerves  ? 

The  wondrous  tales  of  former  travellers  regarding  the 
preparation  of  this  urary  have  been  rectified  long  ago. 
The  venom  of  snakes  is  not  used  for  it,  but  the  juice  of 
the  bruised  stems  and  leaves  of  several  kinds  of  strychnos 
and  apocyneas  is  simply  boiled  over  a  coal  fire,  mixed  with 
tobacco-juice  and  capsicum  (Spanish  pepper),  and  thickened 
with  the  stick}7  milk  of  some  Euphorbiacea  to  a  hard  mass. 
This  manipulation,  moreover,  is  not  undertaken  by  the  old 
squaws  of  the  tribe,  devoting  themselves  to  a  painful  death 
thereby,  as  the  old  stories  ran,  but,  as  there  is  no  danger 
whatever,  by  the  young  wives  of  the  warriors,  who  look 
upon  it  as  part  of  their  household  duties,  or  by  the  men 
i. — t        cc  37 


434  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Keller 

themselves.  There  are  about  eight  or  ten  different  poisons 
of  similar,  but  not  identical,  composition  and  preparation, 
of  which  the  urary  of  the  Macusi  Indians,  and  the  curare, 
from  Venezuela  and  New  Granada,  are  considered  the 
most  powerful. 

This  dark-brown,  pitchy  substance,  usually  kept  in  little 
earthen  pots,  is  lightly  spread  over  the  points  of  the 
weapons, — their  long  arrows,  their  light  spears,  and  the 
thin  wooden  shafts,  of  about  a  foot  long,  which  they  shoot 
through  immense  blow-tubes  (sarabacanas).  Immediately 
upon  the  diffusion  in  the  blood  of  the  slightest  portion  of 
the  poison,  the  limbs,  one  by  one,  refuse  to  work,  as  if 
overcome  with  torpor,  while  the  mind  apparently  retains 
its  activity  until  death  ensues,  which  it  does  in  a  few 
minutes'  time,  from  palsy  of  the  lungs.  It  is  strange  that 
only  those  nerves  are  affected  which  regulate  the  move- 
ments depending  on  our  own  will,  whereas  those  movements 
we  cannot  control — the  beating  of  the  heart,  for  example 
— continue  unaltered  to  the  very  last.  Experiments  made 
by  French  physicians  upon  animals  have  shown  that,  if 
the  lungs  are  artificially  kept  in  activity  for  several  hours, 
the  poison  will  be  rejected  by  natural  means,  and  no  bad 
consequences  will  ensue.  Of  late  the  principal  objection 
to  the  employment  of  the  urary  in  medicine — its  unequal 
strength — has  been  completely  overcome  by  the  effective 
alkaloid — the  curarin — being  extracted.  This  is  about 
twenty  times  as  powerful  as  the  urary,  and  has  been  used 
successfully  in  the  treatment  of  tetanus.  The  Indians 
shoot  birds  and  monkeys,  which  they  wish  to  tame,  with 
very  weak  curare,  rousing  them  from  the  lethargy  which 
overpowers  them  with  large  doses  of  salt  or  sugar-juice  ; 
and  this  treatment  is  said  to  be  very  effective,  also,  in  the 
reduction  of  their  wildness.  .  .  . 

The  gurana,  prepared  from  the  fruit  of  the  Paullinia  sor- 


Keller]  FORESTS  OF  THE  AMAZON  AND  MADEIRA.     435 

bills,  is  a  hard,  chocolate-brown  mass,  of  a  slightly  bitter  taste, 
and  of  no  smell  whatever.  It  is  usually  sold  in  cylindric 
pieces  of  from  ten  inches  to  a  foot  in  length,  in  which  the 
half-bruised  almond-like  seeds  are  still  distinguishable;  the 
more  homogeneous  and  the  harder  the  mass,  the  better  is 
its  quality.  To  render  it  eatable,  or  rather  drinkable,  it  is 
rasped  as  fine  as  possible  on  the  rough,  bony  roof  of  the 
mouth  of  the  sudis  gigas  (pira-rucu),  and  mixed  with  a 
little  sugar  and  water.  A  teaspoonful  in  a  cup  of  warm 
water  is  said  to  be  an  excellent  remedy  in  slight  attacks  of 
ague. 

The  taste  of  this  beverage,  reminding  one  slightly  of 
almonds,  is  very  palatable ;  still,  it  scarcely  accounts  for 
the  passionate  liking  entertained  for  it  by  the  inhabitants 
of  the  greater  part  of  South  America.  It  must  be  the 
stimulating  effects  of  the  paullinin  it  contains  (an  alkaloid 
like  caffeine  and  the'ine)  that  render  it  so  indispensable  to 
those  who  have  been  accustomed  to  it.  All  the  boats  that 
come  lightly  freighted  with  ipecacuanha  and  deer-  or  tiger- 
hides,  from  Mato  Grosso  down  the  Arinos  and  the  Tapnjoz, 
in  face  of  the  considerable  cataracts  and  rapids  of  the 
latter,  take  their  full  loads  of  guarana  at  Santarem;  and 
the  heavy  boats  of  the  Madeira  also  convey  large  quantities 
of  it  to  Bolivia ;  for  at  Cuyaba,  as  well  as  at  Santa  Cruz 
de  la  Sierra  and  Cochabamba,  there  are  many  who  cannot 
do  without  their  guarana,  for  which  they  often  have  to 
pay  thirty  francs  the  pound,  and  who  prefer  all  the  rigors 
of  fasting  to  abstinence  from  their  favorite  beverage.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  mestizo  population  on  the  Amazon, 
where  it  is  prepared  on  a  large  scale  by  the  half-civilized 
tribes  of  the  Mauhes  and  Munduruciis  and  sold  at  about 
three  francs  the  pound,  are  not  so  passionately  attached  to 
it ;  they  rather  take  coffee  and  a  sort  of  coarse  chocolate, 
which  they  manufacture  for  themselves. 


436  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Keller 


CANOE-  AND  CAMP-LIFE  ON  THE  MADEIRA. 

FRANZ   KELLER. 

[To  the  extract  just  made  from  Keller's  "  Amazon  and  Madeira 
Rivers,"  we  add  the  following,  in  which  an  interesting  account  of 
camp-life  in  the  forest  and  river  regions  of  Brazil  is  given.] 

The  lower  course  of  the  Madeira  presents,  for  more  than 
four  hundred  and  sixty  miles,  a  picture  of  grand  simplicity, 
and,  it  must  be  owned,  monotony,  which,  magnificent  as  it 
appears  at  first,  wearies  the  eye  and  sickens  the  heart  at 
last, — a  dead  calm  on  an  unruffled,  mirror-like  sheet  of 
water  glaring  in  the  sun,  and,  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach, 
two  walls  of  dark  green  forest,  with  the  dark- blue  firma- 
ment above  them;  in  the  foreground,  slender  palms  and 
gigantic  orchid-covered  trunks,  with  blooming  creepers 
hanging  from  the  wave-worn  shore,  with  its  red  earthslips, 
down  into  the  turbid  floods.  No  hill  breaks  the  finely- 
indented  line  of  the  foliage,  which  everywhere  bounds  the 
horizon,  only  here  and  there  a  few  palm-covered  sheds 
peep  out  of  the  green ;  and  still  more  rarely  do  we  sight 
one  of  their  quiet  dark  inmates.  Stately  kingfishers  look- 
ing thoughtfully  into  the  river,  white  herons  standing  for 
hours  on  one  leg,  and  alligators  lying  so  motionless  at  the 
mouth  of  some  rivulet  that  their  jaggy  tails  and  scarcely 
protruding  skulls  might  easily  be  taken  for  some  half- 
sunken  trunks,  are  the  only  animals  to  be  seen,  and  cer- 
tainly they  do  not  increase  the  liveliness  of  the  scene. 
Dreary  and  monotonous  as  the  landscape,  the  days,  too, 
pass  in  unvaried  succession. 

With  the  first  dawn  of  day,  before  the  white  mist  that 
hides  the  smooth  surface  of  the  river  has  disappeared  with 


» 


Keller]  CANOE-  AND   CAMP-LIFE.  437 

the  rays  of  the  rising  sun,  the  day's  work  begins.  The 
boatswains  call  their  respective  crews ;  the  tents  are  broken 
up  as  quickly  as  possible ;  the  cooking  apparatus,  the  ham- 
mocks and  hides  that  served  as  beds,  are  taken  on  board, 
together  with  our  arms  and  mathematical  instruments,  and 
every  one  betakes  himself  to  his  post.  The  pagaias  (pad- 
dles) are  dipped  into  the  water,  and  the  prows  of  our 
heavy  boats  turn  slowly  from  the  shore  to  the  middle  of 
the  stream.  Without  the  loss  of  a  minute,  the  oars  are 
plied  for  three  or  four  hours  at  a  steady  but  rather  quick 
rate,  until  a  spot  on  shore  is  discovered  easy  of  access  and 
offering  a  dry  fire-place  and  some  fuel  for  the  preparation 
of  breakfast.  If  it  be  on  one  of  the  long  sand-banks,  a 
roof  is  made  of  one  of  the  sails,  that  rarely  serve  for  any- 
thing else ;  if  in  the  wood,  the  undergrowth,  in  the  shade 
of  some  large  tree,  is  cleared  for  the  reception  of  our  little 
table  and  tent-chairs. 

The  functions  of  the  culinary  chef  for  the  white  faces, 
limited  to  the  preparation  of  a  dish  of  black  beans,  with 
some  fish  or  turtle,  are  simple  enough,  but,  to  be  appre- 
ciated, certainly  require  the  hearty  appetite  acquired  by 
active  life  in  the  open  air.  The  Indians  have  to  cook  by 
turns  for  their  respective  boats'  crews ;  their  unalterable 
bill  of  fare  being  a  pap  of  flour  of  Indian  corn  or  mandioca, 
with  fresh  or  dried  fish,  or  a  piece  of  jacare  (alligator). 

Most  of  those  who  are  not  busy  cooking  spend  their 
time  preparing  new  bast  shirts,  the  material  for  which  is 
found  almost  everywhere  in  the  neighborhood  of  our 
halting-places.  Soon  the  wood  is  alive  with  the  sound  of 
hatchets  and  the  crack  of  falling  trees;  and,  even  before 
they  are  summoned  to  breakfast,  they  return  with  pieces 
of  a  silky  bast  of  about  four  and  a  half  yards  long  and 
somewhat  less  than  one  and  a  quarter  yard  wide.  Their 
implements  for  shirt-making  are  of  primitive  simplicity, — 

37* 


438  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Kkller 

a  heavy  wooden  hammer  with  notches,  called  maceta,  and 
a  round  piece  of  wood  to  work  upon.  Continuously  beaten 
with  the  maceta,  the  fibres  of  the  bast  become  loosened, 
until  the  originally  hard  piece  of  wood  gets  soft  and 
flexible,  and  about  double  its  former  breadth.  After  it  has 
been  washed,  wrung  out  to  remove  the  sap,  and  dried  in 
the  sun,  it  has  the  appearance  of  a  coarse  woollen  stuff  of 
a  bright  whitish-yellow  or  light  brown,  disclosing  two  main 
layers  of  wavy  fibres  held  together  by  smaller  filaments. 
A  more  easily  prepared  and  better  working-garment  for  a 
tropical  climate  is  hardly  to  be  found  than  this,  called 
cascara  by  the  Indians  of  Bolivia,  and  turury  by  those  of 
the  Amazon.  Its  cut  is  as  simple  and  classical  as  its 
material.  A  hole  is  cut  in  the  middle  of  a  piece  about  ten 
feet  long,  to  pass  the  head  through,  and  the  depending 
skirt  is  sewn  together  on  both  sides,  from  below  up  to  the 
height  of  the  girdle,  which  usually  is  a  piece  of  cotton 
string  or  liana. 

Another  branch  of  industrj-  our  Indians  were  busy  at,  in 
their  hours  of  leisure,  was  the  fabrication  of  straw  hats, 
with  the  young  leaves  of  a  kind  of  little  palm,  the  same 
which  supplies  the  excellent  hats  imported  from  Ecuador 
and  Peru,  and  known  in  Europe  under  the  name  of  Chile 
or  Panama  hats.  Dexterity  at  all  sorts  of  wicker-work 
seems  to  be  innate  to  this  race ;  and  the  prettiest  little  bas- 
kets and  the  finest  mats  of  colored  palm-leaves  are  to  be 
bought  on  the  Missions  of  the  Mamore  at  the  lowest 
prices. 

But  all  these  occupations  are  left  at  the  call  of  the  first 
mate,  who  has  the  proud  title  of  Capitano.  The  boats' 
crews  crowd  round  their  pots,  each  one  receives  his  allotted 
portion  in  a  calabash  or  a  basin  of  horn,  and  their  spoons 
of  the  same  material  are  soon  in  full  activity.  If  a  jacare 
has  lately  been  shot,  or  caught  in  a  lago  (sling),  every  one, 


Keller]  CANOE-  AND   CAMP-LIFE.  430 

after  roasting  his  own  piece  of  it  on  the  spit,  proceeds  to 
cut  at  the  large  slices  of  the  white  meat  (which,  though  in 
appearance  like  fish,  is  as  tough  as  india-rubber)  with  the 
satisfaction  usually  produced  by  three  or  four  hours  of 
hard  rowing  on  view  of  anything  eatable.  One  tribe  es- 
pecially, the  Canichanas,  from  the  former  Mission  of  San 
Pedro  at  the  Mamore,  think  roast  caiman  the  finest  eating 
in  the  world ;  while  others,  the  Cayuabas  from  Exaltacion, 
and  the  Mojos  from  Trinidad,  whose  palates  are  somewhat 
more  refined,  prefer  beef,  fish,  or  turtle  to  the  musk-exhaling 
saurian.  Notably  the  turtles,  which  are  not  found  on  the 
Guapore  and  Mamore  (they  arc  not  met  with  above  the 
rapids  of  the  Madeira),  are  prized  by  them,  though  we  grew 
rather  tired  of  them,  and  no  wonder.  On  the  lower  Ma- 
deira, at  our  fires,  there  was  almost  daily  going  on  the 
cooking  of  turtles,  of  all  sizes,  from  the  full-grown  one  of 
a  yard  in  length  to  the  smallest  of  the  size  of  a  hand ;  and 
in  every  variety  of  preparation,  too, — whole,  and  chopped 
up  as  for  soup;  stewed;  and  roasted  in  their  own  shell  or 
on  the  spit. 

Bathing  in  the  river,  immediately  after  meals,  is  a  luxury 
invariably  indulged  in  by  all  the  Indians ;  and  I  never 
remarked  that  it  was  attended  by  any  evil  consequences 
to  them. 

After  a  rest  of  two  hours'  duration,  the  cooking  utensils, 
the  hammocks,  and  improvised  tents  were  carried  on  board 
again,  and  the  voyage  continued.  A  second  halt  was  made 
after  rowing  for  two  or  three  hours,  when  we  came  in 
sight  of  a  good  place  for  fishing,  such  as  the  mouth  of 
some  smaller  river,  or  an  extensive  mud-bank.  Such  places 
were  usually  recognizable  from  afar,  by  the  multitude  of 
snow-white  herons  and  of  long  caimans,  which,  finding  it 
out  before  us,  crowded  there  in  peaceful  unity,  and  with 
similar  intentions.     The  vicinity  of  the  scaly  monsters  is 


440  HALF-HOURS   OF  TRAVEL.  [Kellkr 

scarcely  heeded  by  the  Indians,  who  fish  and  take  their 
bath,  laughing  and  jesting,  though  somewhat  hugging  the 
shore,  just  as  if  there  were  no  such  thing  as  the  tail  or  the 
tooth  of  the  jacare  in  the  world ;  and,  indeed,  these  crea- 
tures are  themselves  in  much  greater  danger  than  the  red- 
skins. When  the  last  steak  of  alligator  has  been  consumed, 
one  of  the  Canichanas  is  sure  to  ask  leave  to  have  some 
fun,  and  to  provide  at  the  same  time  for  their  next  dinner. 
Of  course  the  permission  is  always  granted,  as  the  sport 
keeps  up  their  spirits  and  spares  our  provisions.  Without 
loss  of  time,  then,  one  of  them,  having  carefully  fastened 
a  strong  loop  of  raw  hide  at  the  end  of  a  long  pole,  and 
having  dexterously  slipped  off  his  bast  shirt,  creeps  slowly 
through  the  shallow  water,  pole  and  sling  in  hand,  as  near 
as  possible  to  the  alligator,  which  looks  on  at  these  prepa- 
rations with  perfect  apathy,  only  now  and  then  betraying 
a  sign  of  life  by  a  lazy  movement  of  its  powerful  tail. 
But  it  does  not  take  its  eyes  off  the  Indian  as  he  crawls 
nearer  and  nearer.  The  fatal  sling  is  at  arm's  length  from 
its  muzzle,  and  yet  it  does  not  see  it.  As  if  under  the  in- 
fluence of  witchcraft,  it  continues  to  stare  with  its  large 
protruding  eyes  at  the  bold  hunter,  who  in  the  next  mo- 
ment has  thrown  the  loop  over  its  head,  and  suddenly 
drawn  it  to  with  a  strong  pull.  The  other  Indians,  who 
the  while  have  been  cowering  motionless  on  shore,  now 
rush  into  the  water  to  the  help  of  their  companion,  and 
fqur  or.  five  of  them  land  the  ugly  creature  that  with  all 
its  might  struggles  to  get  back  into  the  water,  lashing  the 
sand  with  its  tail  and  showing  its  long  teeth ;  but  a  few 
vigorous  blows  with  an  axe  on  the  tail  and  skull  soon  render 
it  tame  enough.  If,  instead  of  dragging  back,  the  alliga- 
tor were  only  to  rush  forward  boldly  to  the  attack  of  the 
Indians,  they  would,  of  a  certainty,  leave  pole  and  sling 
and  run  for  their  lives;  but  this  brjght  idea  never  seems 


Keller]  CANOE-  AND   CAMP-LIFE.  441 

to  occur  to  the  uncouth  animal,  and  the  strife  always  ends 
with  its  death.  Though  there  were  more  than  a  dozen  of 
them  killed  during  the  voyage,  I  never  thought  of  sending 
a  rifle-bullet  through  the  thick  skull  of  one,  except  on  one 
occasion,  when  I  was  afraid  that  one  of  our  Canichanas 
was  about  to  make  too  close  an  acquaintance  with  the  hard, 
jagged  tail  of  an  extraordinarily  strong  monster,  which 
measured  full  sixteen  and  a  half  feet. 

Even  before  the  huge  spoil  is  cut  up,  four  musk-glands, 
placed  by  two3  under  its  jaw,  and  on  its  belly,  near  the  be- 
ginning of  the  tail,  must  be  carefully  taken  out,  to  prevent 
the  diffusion,  over  the  whole  body,  of  the  penetrating  odor 
of  the  greasy,  brown  liquid  they  contain.  These  glands, 
which  are  about  an  inch  and  a  half  long  and  as  thick  as  a 
finger,  are  carefully  tied  up  and  suspended  in  the  sun  to  dry. 
Mixed  with  a  little  rose-water,  their  contents  serve,  as  we 
were  told,  to  perfume  the  raven-black  tresses  of  the  elegant 
Bolivian  ladies  at  Santa  Cruz  de  la  Sierra  and  Cochabamba, 
in  spite  of,  or  rather  by  reason  of,  their  strong  scent,  which 
gives  the  headache  to  all  save  these  strong-nerved  seRoritas, 
who  love  a  bull-fight  above  everything,  who  know  how  to 
roll  the  cigarito,  and  to  dance  the  fandango  with  matchless 
grace,  but  who  scarcely  are  able  to  write  their  own  names. 

After  such  a  pleasant  interlude  of  fishing  or  hunting,  the 
paddles  are  plied  with  renewed  vigor  until  the  evening, 
when  sleeping  quarters  are  selected,  either  on  a  sand-bank 
or  in  the  forest.  The  canoes  are  moored  by  strong  pias- 
saba  ropes  in  some  recess  of  the  bank,  where  they  are  pro- 
tected against  drifting  trunks ;  the  tents  are  erected,  and 
preparations  ensue  for  the  principal  meal.  Meanwhile, 
after  the  very  short  interval  of  twilight  usual  in  the 
tropics,  night  almost  suddenly  throws  her  dark  veil  over 
the  valley,  and  the  bright  constellations  of  the  southern 
sky  in  quiet  majesty  adorn  the  firmament. 


442  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Keller 

While  we  prepare  to  take  astronomical  observations, 
half  a  dozen  large  fires  are  lighted  round  about,  in  whose 
fitful  blaze  the  neighboring  forest-trees  appear  like  huge 
phantoms,  looking  contemptuously  down  on  us,  poor  tiny 
mortals.  Our  Indians  warm  themselves  in  the  cheerful 
glow,  smoking,  and  chatting  of  the  day's  adventures,  or 
rather  of  what  are  regarded  as  such, — unusual  good  or  ill 
luck  at  fishing  and  hunting ;  the  casual  meeting  of  some 
canoe ;  or  the  sight  of  a  seringueiro's  poor  cottage.  "Work 
over,  they  take  off  the  rough  cascara,  and  put  on  the  cami- 
seta,  a  cotton  garment  without  sleeves,  resembling  a  wide 
poncho  sewn  together  at  the  sides,  and  whose  dazzling 
whiteness  is  set  off  by  two  scarlet  stripes  along  the  seams. 
The  ample  folds  and  the  simple  cut  of  the  garment,  which 
is  made  by  the  Indian  women  of  the  Missions  on  very 
primitive  looms,  give  quite  a  stately,  classical  appearance 
to  the  numerous  groups  round  the  fires.  Such  must  have 
been  the  aspect  presented  by  the  halting-places  of  those 
daring  seafarers,  the  Phoenicians,  who  were  the  first  to 
call  into  life  an  international  commerce,  and  whose  light- 
rigged  barques  first  ventured  to  distant  shores,  to  bring 
home  the  precious  amber  and  the  useful  tin.  Only  the 
dense  swarms  of  mosquitoes,  which  set  in  immediately 
after  sunset,  remind  us  rather  unpleasantly  that  we  are  far 
off  from  those  happy  northern  regions,  where  such  a  nui- 
sance can  hardly  be  well  imagined.  Especially  in  the 
dense  forest  beneath  cacao-bushes,  or  under  the  close  leaf- 
age of  the  large  figueiras,  where  no  breath  of  air  incom- 
modes those  light-winged  tormentors,  it  is  quite  impossible, 
for  the  European  at  least,  to  close  an  eye  without  the 
shelter  of  a  mosquiteiro  (mosquito-net) ;  and  we  could 
but  wonder  at  our  Indians,  most  of  whom  did  without  it. 
After  supper  they  simply  spread  a  hide  on  the  ground,  on 
which,  with  no  covering  other  than  the  starry  firmament 


Wells]  BESIEGED  BY  PECCARIES.  443 

above  them,  they  slept  undisturbed  till  the  dawn,  only  oc- 
casionally brushing  away,  as  if  by  way  of  diversion,  the 
most  obtrusive  of  the  little  fiends.  The  capitanos  only,  and 
one  or  other  of  the  older  rowers,  allow  themselves  the 
luxury  of  good  cotton  hammocks,  which  are  also  made  by 
their  wives  in  the  Missions. 

Such,  with  few  variations,  was  the  course  of  our  daily 
life,  until  we  reached  the  regions  of  the  rapids,  when,  of 
course,  the  hundred  little  incidents  connected  with  the 
dragging  of  the  canoes  through  narrow,  foaming  channels, 
and  with  carrying  the  goods  and  the  vessels  themselves 
overland,  disturbed  the  monotony  of  this  rude  forest  life. 


BESIEGED  BY  PECCARIES. 

JAMES   W.    WELLS. 

[It  is  to  "  Three  Thousand  Miles  through  Brazil,  from  Rio  de 
Janeiro  to  Maranhao,"  hy  James  W.  Wells,  F.R.G.S.,  that  we  owe 
the  following  exciting  example  of  the  perils  of  a  hunter's  life  in  the 
wilds  of  the  tropics.  Mr.  Wells  and  his  fellow-travellers,  while 
journeying  up  the  valley  of  the  Sapao,  far  in  interior  Brazil,  came 
upon  traces  of  the  peccary,  an  animal  which,  from  its  fearlessness,  and 
its  habit  of  moving  in  troops,  is  occasionally  a  very  unsafe  creature  to 
meet.     What  followed  we  shall  leave  the  author  to  tell.] 

We  were  down  in  the  deep,  narrow  valley,  where  the 
slopes  of  the  table-land  surrounded  us  like  a  wall,  up  which 
there  was  no  visible  ascent.  The  tall,  rank  grass  was  also 
littered  with  boulders  of  sandstone  and  short,  gnarled,  and 
distorted  cork-trees;  it  was  a  toilsome  march  for  both  men 
and  animals,  but  there,  certainly,  must  be  the  head-quarters 
of  all  the  peccaries  of  the  region,  for  everywhere  the  ground 
was  furrowed  and  rooted  up,  the  grass  trodden  down  in 


444  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Wells 

long  lanes,  the  pools  of  water  turbid,  from  their  wallowing, 
and  the  place  odorous  as  a  rank  pigsty ;  and  yet,  strange 
to  say,  not  a  pig  was  to  be  seen,  fortunately  for  us ;  for  in 
such  an  inconvenient  place  an  attack  from  these  vicious 
animate  in  the  numbers  they  could  evidently  collect  would 
have  enabled  them  to  take  us  at  great  disadvantage. 

We  pushed  on  the  animals  to  get  out  of  this  pig-set  man' 
trap,  and  eventually  got  clear  of  the  labyrinth  on  the 
farther  side  of  the  last  feeder  of  the  main  morass,  and, 
after  some  difficulty,  found  an  ascent  on  to  the  geraes,  where 
we  made  a  bee-line  to  the  Sapac  across  the  flats. 

During  the  passage  of  the  swamps  the  Don  said, — 

"  Ah !  Senhor  Doctor,  what  a  shame  to  leave  such  a 
lovely  place  ;  if  you  and  I  were  only  here  to-night,  what 
fun  we  would  have  with  the  peccaries ;  but,  patience,  they 
will  make  us  a  visit  to-night,  because  of  the  trail  of  the 
dogs." 

But  neither  time  nor  place  would  permit  of  carrying  out 
the  Don's  desires,  as  there  was  neither  water  nor  pasture 
for  the  animals.  The  Don's  remark  about  the  peccaries 
paying  us  a  visit  is  owing  to  a  popular  belief  that  these 
animals,  when  in  considerable  numbers,  will  follow  a  dog's 
trail  for  many  miles,  and  attack  and  kill  him.  In  fact,  it 
is  customary  with  the  hunters  to  imitate  the  barking  of  a 
dog  to  attract  the  attention  of  the  pigs,  and  induce  them 
to  collect  together  and  make  an  attack ;  when,  the  hunters 
being  safely  ensconced  in  trees,  the  game  is  perfectly  safe, 
as  the  men  have  only  to  shoot  what  they  require. 

The  ground  traversed  that  afternoon  was  not  so  free 
from  bush  as  we  had  hitherto  found,  being  in  many  places 
thickly  covered  with  dense  cerrado  (abounding  in  immense 
quantities  of  the  india-rubber-producing  Mangaba-tree), 
where  progress  was  very  slow  and  difficult,  and  required 
the  free  use  of  our  wood  knives.     After  a  long  and  weari- 


Wells]  BESIEGED  BY  PECCARIES.  445 

some  march,  we  reached  the  valley  of  the  Sapao  again, 
quite  eight  miles  from  the  peccaries'  haunt. 

I  found  the  river  valley  presented  much  the  same  charac- 
teristics as  we  had  found  lower  down.  For  the  purposes 
of  a  railway  it  is  admirable;  the  gradients  are  practically 
level,  and  the  only  works  of  art  required  would  be  in 
crossing  the  many  burity  swamps  that  intersect  the  route, 
and  these,  although  numerous,  are  narrow. 

Even  the  Eio  Sapao  itself  could  doubtless  be  made  into  a 
good  canal,  in  the  absence  of  a  railway,  for  there  is  plenty 
of  water,  and  the  ground  offers  great  facilities  for  straight- 
ening its  course. 

Especial  care  was  taken  in  preparing  the  camp  that 
night.  The  Don  and  Jose  superintended  the  operation  of 
constructing  the  fort,  the  sides  of  which  were  further  pro- 
tected by  spreading  over  them  the  hides  used  for  covering 
the  packs  of  the  mules.  Bush  was  also  cut  to  make  up 
and  enlarge  the  defences,  and  a  strong  stake  was  driven 
into  the  ground  inside  the  fort  for  the  purpose  of  securing 
the  dogs  in  case  the  peccaries  arrived.  The  camp  was 
made  on  the  borders  of  a  clump  of  trees,  to  which  we 
were  enabled  to  sling  the  hammocks,  no  one  caring  to 
sleep  on  terra  firraa  that  night,  but  two  of  the  men  who 
were  unprovided  with  hammocks  spread  their  hides  on  the 
ground  inside  the  fort. 

After  dinner,  of  course,  peccaries  formed  the  sole  subject 
of  conversation,  but  hour  after  hour  went  by,  yet  no  signs 
of  their  presence  appeared ;  and,  after  arranging  the 
watches  for  the  night,  wo  turned  in,  and  with  the  fatigues 
of  the  day  I  was  soon  asleep. 

It  appeared  to  me,  however,  that  I  had  barely  closed  my 
eyes,  when  I  felt  my  hammock  violently  shaken.  It  was 
the  Don  awakening  me,  saying,  "  Wake  up,  here  are  the 
porcos,  wc  arc  going  to  have  some  fun."     The  first  peculiar- 

38 


446  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Wells 

ity  that  struck  me  was  the  prevalence  of  the  odor  of  old 
pigsties.  I  sat  up,  looked  around,  and  listened.  The  pitchy- 
blackness  of  night  surrounded  us,  but  the  fire,  burning 
brightly,  sent  its  flickering  light  upon  the  tree-trunks,  the 
foliage,  and  the  hammocks ;  two  men  were  in  the  fort  with 
gun  and  knife  in  hand,  and  the  dogs  tied  to  their  stake 
were  with  difficulty  kept  quiet,  and  vented  their  excite- 
ment in  deep  growls.  As  I  listened  it  became  evident  that 
we  were  surrounded  by  some  animals,  for  in  many  direc- 
tions was  heard,  in  the  stillness  of  night,  the  sound  of 
bodies  moving  through  the  bush,  twigs  snapping,  grass 
rustling,  etc.  It  was  a  moment  of  suspense,  but  not  for 
long ;  for  suddenly,  from  all  around  us,  came  a  blood  cur- 
dling sound  of  the  simultaneous  snapping  of  teeth  from  vast 
numbers  of  the  enemy,  followed  by  the  appearance  of  a 
crowd  of  charging  black  animals,  rushing  with  wonderful 
speed  towards  a  common  centre,  the  fort.  We  in  the 
hammocks  each  lighted  a  coil  of  wax  tapers  that  were  pre- 
pared ready  for  the  occasion. 

And  what  a  scene  ensued !  the  fire  was  rapidly  scattered, 
and  partly  extinguished ;  under  and  around  us  was  a  seeth- 
ing mass  of  black  peccaries,  barely  distinguishable  in  the 
dim  light,  but  all  pushing  and  struggling  to  the  front;  the 
men  in  the  fort  had  discharged  their  weapons,  and  were 
hard  at  work,  hacking  and  thrusting  at  the  peccaries  as 
they  endeavored  to  swarm  up  the  smooth  surface  of  the 
hides  that  covered  the  sides  of  the  fort.  The  men  in  the 
hammocks,  after  discharging  their  guns,  reached  down  and 
slashed  with  their  knives  at  the  swarming  animals  below 
them. 

The  attack  was  more  like  the  wild,  reckless  bravery  of 
the  Arabs  of  the  Soudan,  for  as  pig  after  pig  fell  squealing 
and  disabled,  scores  more  struggled  for  his  place.  The 
faint  light  of  the  tapers  and  the  partly  extinguished  firo 


Wells]  BESIEGED  BY  PECCARIES.  447 

served  but  to  dimly  illuminate  the  elements  of  the  strange, 
noisy,  wildly  weird  scene;  the  trunks  of  the  surrounding 
trees  and  their  foliage ;  the  swinging  hammocks  with  their 
occupants  reaching  downward,  cutting  and  thrusting  with 
their  long,  gleaming  knives;  the  dim  figures  of  the  men 
in  the  trineheria,  repelling  with  shouts  and  thrusts  the 
swarming  enemy;  the  wild,  rushing,  charging  forms  of  the 
black  bodies  of  the  peccaries,  as  in  great  numbers  they 
threw  themselves  against  the  fort,  regardless  of  being 
struck  down  one  after  the  other,  and  always  impelled  for- 
ward by  those  in  the  rear  struggling  to  the  front;  others 
made  ineffectual  attempts  to  reach  our  hammocks  or 
viciously  gashed  the  trees  that  gave  us  support;  the  ex- 
tremely disagreeable  and  nauseous  odors  of  the  animals, 
their  snapping  of  teeth,  like  musketry  file-firing,  the 
reports  of  the  firearms,  the  shouts  of  the  men,  the  howling 
and  barking  of  the  dogs,  and  the  dim  light,  created  an  in- 
describably strange  and  exciting  scene.  Eveiy  bullet  of 
my  revolver  took  effect.  I  shouted  to  the  men  to  reserve 
their  fire,  and  fire  volleys,  but  it  was  like  talking  in  a  gale 
of  wind  at  sea. 

In  spite  of  all  efforts,  still  the  battle  raged.  The  animals 
appeared  to  be  in  immense  numbers,  for,  as  far  as  the  faint 
light  would  permit,  the  ground  was  seen  covered  with 
their  moving  bodies,  rushing,  struggling,  the  strongest 
beating  down  the  weakest,  grunting,  squealing,  and  snap- 
ping their  teeth  ;  and  noticeable  above  everything  was  the 
abominable  exhalations  from  their  bodies,  an  odor  like  a 
combination  of  rank  butter  and  garlic. 

I  was  getting  anxious  not  only  for  my  baggage,  but  for 
the  men  behind  the  fort,  who  had  to  cut  and  thrust  like 
madmen  ;  the  excitement  was  intense.  The  strong  raw 
hides  were  ripped  up  as  though  slashed  with  a  sharp  knife, 
and  the  bags  of  beans  and  farinha  were  freely  streaming 


448  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Wells 

their  contents  on  the  ground  from  innumerable  rippings 
from  the  keen  sharp  tusks. 

Although  we  in  the  hammocks  were  quite  safe,  the  fort 
was  trembling;  many  of  the  saddles  and  bags  had  been 
displaced  by  the  sheer  pressure  of  the  enemy.  Our  few 
miserable  firearms  appeared  to  have  no  more  effect  than  so 
many  pop-guns,  although  the  ground  was  becoming  strewn 
with  the  bodies  of  the  slain  and  disabled.  At  last  I 
succeeded  in  getting  the  men  in  the  hammocks  to  fire 
volleys  at  a  given  place,  and  afier  a  time  this  appeared  to 
have  an  effect,  for  as  suddenly  as  the  attack  commenced, 
so  it  ceased ;  and  the  animals  withdrew  simultaneously 
and  in  silence. 

The  Don  (his  voice  chuckling  with  glee)  called  to  us  to 
get  ready  again  as  they  would  probably  return.  "  Ah  !" 
said  he  to  me,  in  a  low  voice,  "  what  a  splendid  time  we  are 
having!"  I  thought,  however,  of  the  men  in  the  fort,  one 
of  whom  was  stanching  blood  from  his  wrist.  I  told  the 
Don  to  go  and  reinforce  them;  but  suddenly  the  Don 
became  very  deaf;  he  was  very  snug  in  his  hammock  and 
really  could  not  hear  me ;  but  Jose,  like  a  good  fellow,  got 
out,  ran  for  the  fort,  jumped  in,  and  helped  the  men  to 
make  good  the  damages.  We  could  still  hear  the  pigs  in 
the  bush,  and  presently,  without  a  moment's  warning,  we 
again  heard  that  diabolical  crash  of  teeth  from  a  complete 
circle  around  us,  followed  immediately  by  another  wild 
charge,  and  the  battle  was  again  renewed  with  all  its  ex- 
citement ;  but  then,  after  the  first  flush  of  excitement,  we 
became  cooler,  and  Jose  in  the  fort  was  a  host  in  him- 
self; this  attack  was  of  much  shorter  duration,  and  the 
enemy  once  more  suddenly  retreated.  In  the  pause  that 
then  ensued  I  thought  of  Kodrigues,  as  it  then  occurred  to 
me  that  I  had  not  hitherto  noticed  him;  his  hammock  was 
quite  still,  and  its  edges  drawn  together  over  his  body  that 


Wells]  BESIEGED  BY  PECCARIES.  449 

formed  a  round,  ball-like  protuberance  in  the  centre.  I 
saw  it  all,  and  could  picture  the  poor  terror-stricken  man, 
coiled  up,  with  blanched  face  and  bated  breath  and  making 
himself  as  small  as  possible.  The  men  in  the  fort  had 
behaved  very  pluckily. 

Six  or  seven  other  attacks  eventually  followed,  but  each 
one  became  weaker,  and  at  intervals  between  of  longer 
duration.  The  eventful  night  seemed  interminable,  and 
finally  it  was  not  until  near  daybreak  that  we  heard  the 
last  grunt. 

At  the  first  lights  of  gray  dawn  Jose  proposed  to  recon- 
noitre, and  went  off  for  the  purpose.  At  first  he  proceeded 
very  gingerly  from  tree  to  tree.  I  proposed  to  myself  to 
go  also,  but  just  at  that  moment  I  had  a  fellow-feeling  for 
the  Don's  deafness,  and  thought  what  a  comfortable  place 
a  hammock  was,  and  that  really  I  could  do  no  good ;  and 
fui-ther  I  remembered  that  generals  should  always  occupy 
high,  commanding  positions  ;  every  one  was  chary  of  moving 
from  their  places  of  security. 

Jose  soon  afterwards  returned,  and  reported  that  the 
enemy  had  finally  withdrawn. 

Thoughts  of  the  horses  and  mules  then  occurred  to  us, 
and  we  anxiously  awaited  their  arrival,  for  they  had  ac- 
quired the  habit  of  appearing  in  camp  of  their  own  accord 
in  the  early  morning  for  their  matutinal  feed  of  corn. 
Thankfully  I  saw  three  or  four  soon  after  arrive,  but  two 
men  had  to  go  for  the  others,  that  were  fortunately  found 
browsing  on  a  plentiful  supply  of  the  shoots  of  young 
bamboos.  Happily  the  animals  had  been  pasturing  in  a 
direction  opposite  to  that  from  whence  the  peccaries  came, 
otherwise  there  would  have  been  a  stampede. 

Almost  the  first  thing  the  men  did  after  the  final  retreat 
of  the  peccaries  was  to  slash  the  skin  on  the  top  of  the 
loins  of  the  defunct   enemy,  and  extract  the  gland  that 
I.—  dd  38* 


450  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Wells 

creates  the  disgusting  odor  peculiar  to  these  animals;  for 
if  not  extracted  soon  after  death,  it  taints  the  flesh  to  such 
an  extent  as  to  render  it  uneatable  except  by  Indians,  who 
do  not  object  to  any  flavor,  and  eat  all  their  animal  food 
cooked  on  the  same  principle  as  a  European  cook  prepares 
a  woodcock.  There  were  twenty-seven  dead  pigs  found 
in  and  about  the  camp,  and  also  several  wounded,  to  whom 
it  was  necessary  to  give  the  coup  de  grace.  The  wounds 
were  mostly  from  the  knives  and  small  axes,  but  a  very 
considerable  number  of  the  wounded  must  have  got  away 
to  recover,  or  linger  unfortunately  in  pain. 

Six  of  the  plumpest  were  selected  for  drying  and  salt- 
ing, the  preparations  for  which,  and  also  to  repair  the 
damages  done  to  the  bags  of  provisions,  delayed  our  de- 
parture for  some  time. 

An  examination  of  these  animals  showed  them  to  be  a 
species  of  peccary  resembling  that  known  as  the  Dicotyles 
labiatus,  but  an  essential  difference  was  noticeable  in  the 
absence  of  the  white  lips  that  give  the  name  to  that 
species ;  our  enemies  had  black  snouts  and  dark  lips,  other- 
wise they  corresponded  in  other  points. 

They  had  four  incisors  on  the  upper  jaw,  and  six  molars 
on  each  side  above  and  below ;  while  the  tusks,  although 
smaller  than  a  pig's,  are  much  finer  and  sharper,  inclined 
slightly  backward,  and  closely  overlap  each  other.  Some 
of  the  bodies  of  the  animals  measured  thirty-six  inches  in 
length.  They  are  more  slender  in  build  than  the  common 
pig,  and  covered  with  long,  stiff  bristles,  colored  with  alter- 
nate rings  of  grey,  light-brown,  and  black.  These  colors 
vary  with  the  size  and  age  of  the  animals,  and  as  either  one 
predominates,  they  cause  the  animal  to  appear  either  brown, 
gray,  or  black ;  the  largest  we  found  was  almost  entirely 
black,  whereas  the  smallest  had  quite  a  brown  appearance. 

During  the  battle  I  could  not  help  noticing  the  apparent 


Wells]  BESIEGED  BY  PECCARIES.  451 

method  of  their  movements,  as  though  they  were  led  by 
chiefs.  It  appears  that  their  mode  of  attack  on  such  an 
occasion  as  they  favored  us  with  is  to  surround  in  silence, 
by  a  complete  circle,  the  object  to  be  stormed  ;  when,  at  a 
given  signal,  a  simultaneous  snapping  of  teeth  takes  place, 
followed  by  a  general  converging  rush  to  the  centre,  where- 
by the  largest  and  strongest  reach  the  front  first,  and  the 
smallest  bring  up  the  rear ;  their  retreat  is  carried  out  on 
an  equally  methodical  system.  There  is  a  small,  red 
species  known  by  the  Guarany  name  of  caeitatu  ;*  our 
friends  are  known  by  the  Brazilian  cognomen  of  guei- 
xadas,  or  porcos  de  motto. 

From  what  I  had  witnessed  during  the  past  night,  I  can 
quite  understand  how  these  courageous  animals  in  large 
numbers  are  capable  of  surrounding  and  destroying  a 
powerful  jaguar ;  and  if  my  dog  Feroz  had  fallen  among 
them,  he  would  doubtless  have  made  a  brave  fight,  but  he 
would  not  have  had  the  slightest  chance  of  escape,  and  for- 
tunately for  us  the  ropes  of  the  hammocks  did  not  break,  as 
hammock-strings  will  sometimes  do  at  untoward  moments, 
otherwise  1  should  not  be  here  now  to  tell  this  tale. 

But  now,  from  the  camp-fire,  comes  the  odor  of  roast 
peccary,  for  parts  of  them  were  already  roasting  for  break- 
fast, and  emitting  a  vastly  more  acceptable  odor  to  what 
they  did  when  alive.  When  ready,  it  is  needless  to  say 
that,  after  the  long  night  and  in  the  keen,  dewy  morning 
air,  how  appreciated  were  our  visitors  when  cooked,  and 
there  was  not  the  slightest  trace  of  the  objectionable  odor. 

[Shortly  afterwards  the  hunters  met  another  tenant  of  the  Brazilian 
wilds.] 

As  several  peccaries  had  crossed  our  path  lately,  Jose 
and  the  Don  cut  three  long  straight  bamboos;  to  the  ends 

*  Dicotyles  torquatos. 


452  HALFHOIRS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Wells 

of  each  we  fastened  our  sharp-pointed  knives,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  pig-sticking.  But  the  first  use  we  had  for  our 
lances  was  for  a  different  animal ;  our  dogs  had  suddenly- 
disappeared  into  the  tall  grass,  barking  loudly,  and  a  few 
moments  afterwards  a  huge  ant-bear  came  rolling  out  into 
the  open  semi-marsh  land,  followed  by  the  dogs ;  it  went  at 
a  good  pace,  but  with  most  extraordinary  and  ludicrous 
movements.  It  became  then  very  interesting  to  watch  the 
sagacity  of  the  dogs,  as  they  hung  well  on  to  his  rear, 
trying  to  seize  only  the  tail  of  the  animal,  and  keeping 
well  out  of  reach  of  his  powerful  fore-legs  armed  with 
tremendous  claws.  The  dogs,  however,  were  evidently 
losing  their  caution  and  getting  closer,  and  the  cumber- 
some beast  had  already  made  some  particularly  rapid 
blows  in  attempting  to  rip  the  dogs.  Fearing  a  possible 
disaster  to  my  faithful  Feroz,  we  galloped  on,  but  it  is 
amazing  the  speed  these  cumbersome  ant-bears  can  develop. 
We  had  to  put  our  animals  to  their  sharpest  paces  to  come 
up  with  the  quarry,  when  we  had  the  opportunity  of  flesh- 
ing our  lances.  The  bear  died  hard,  lying  on  its  back  and 
striking  out  with  its  forelegs.  The  men  cut  portions  of 
the  flesh  to  eat,  but  when  afterwards  prepared,  I  found  it 
too  strongly  flavored  with  formic  acid  to  be  agreeable,  and 
the  dogs  refused  it. 

It  then  occurred  to  me  that  the  incident  of  the  discovery 
by  the  Don  of  the  robbery  of  a  bees'-nest  some  days  ago 
might  possibly  be  explained  by  it  having  been  taken  by 
an  ant-bear,  and  not  by  a  prowling  stranger  as  he  sup- 
posed. 

[The  hunt  of  the  ant-bear  was  followed  a  few  days  afterwards  by  a 
peccary-hunt,  which  proved  a  much  less  safe  occupation.] 

A  little  farther  on,  in  a  wide  shallow  depression,  was  our 
host's  favorite  hunting-ground  (where  he  had  often  found 


Wells]  BESIEGED  BY  PECCARIES.  453 

considerable  quantities  of  peccaries),  an  immense  burityzal 
that  extended  apparently  from  the  Chapadas  to  the  Rio 
Preto. 

We  halted  at  Jose's  request  and  listened,  and  soon  dis- 
tinctly heard  the  grunt  of  the  porcos  among  the  buritys, 
where  they  feed  on  the  fruits  of  the  palms  that  form  their 
favorite  food. 

Leaving  the  horses  fastened  to  the  trees  of  a  thin  cerrado 
that  covered  the  sloping  ground  of  the  borders  of  the 
swamps,  and  haversacks,  ponchos,  and  other  impedimenta 
suspended  to  the  branches,  we  advanced  to  the  attack. 

I  confessed  to  a  feeling  of  trepidation  and  a  certain 
bumping  of  the  heart  as  we  were  about  to  leave  the  bor- 
ders of  the  convenient  trees  so  easy  and  apparently  pur- 
posely constructed  for  a  human  retreat  from  the  peccaries, 
but  at  that  moment  a  troop  of  some  dozen  of  them  emerged 
from  the  jungle  of  the  swamp  out  into  the  open  marshy 
land,  and  disappeared  into  the  adjoining  tall  grass. 

Three  of  the  sons  of  Jose,  with  Antonio,  Bob,  and  Jose 
Grosso,  started  at  a  run  to  cut  off  their  retreat,  and  soon 
disappeared  amidst  the  tall  grass  a  little  lower  down  the 
hill.  After  a  few  moments  of  suspense,  we  heard  reports 
of  guns,  and  shouts  to  us  to  look  out;  at  the  same  time 
another  troop  of  peccaries  appeared  on  the  open  marshes, 
and  followed  the  tracks  of  the  others.  The  grass  became 
agitated  by  the  movements  of  the  animals,  and  they  soon 
afterwards  entered  the  more  open  ground  of  the  cerrado 
where  we  were  waiting,  pursued  by  the  five  men ;  we  all 
fired,  but  as  the  range  was  long,  there  was  not  much  exe- 
cution. The  animals,  about  forty  in  number,  now  suddenly 
halted  and  faced  their  pursuers  with  vicious  little  stampings 
of  feet  and  snapping  of  teeth,  and  suddenly  charged  down 
upon  the  men  and  upon  ourselves.  Never  was  such  gym- 
nastic agility  display  as  in  the  way  that  each  of  us  rushed 


454  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Wells 

for,  and  scurried  up,  the  nearest  trees,  many  dropping  their 
guns  or  knives  in  their  hurry. 

Jose  and  his  sons  were  the  coolest,  epecially  the  old  man, 
who,  perhaps  a  little  too  stiff  for  climbing,  calmly  placed 
his  back  against  a  tree,  clasped  it  with  his  left  hand,  and 
leaning  forward  in  a  semi-stooping  posture,  with  his  long 
facao  at  the  ready,  awaited  the  furious  charge. 

How  gallantly  they  come  sweeping  along  with  their 
muzzles  well  down,  but  within  a  few  feet  of  our  trees 
they  suddenly  halt,  and,  snapping  their  tusks,  make  short 
plunging  charges.  I  had  found  a  comfortable  perch  up  a 
short  gnarled  tree,  and  taking  careful  aim  at  the  peccaries 
near  me,  I  knocked  over  three  of  them  in  five  shots  from 
my  revolver. 

They  were  charging  Jose's  legs  at  close  quarters,  but  his 
long,  keen,  sharp  pointed  knife  flashes  quickly  as  he  rapidly 
delivers  cuts  and  thrusts  with  telling  effect.  The  other 
men,  safely  ensconced  in  the  trees,  have  made  good  shots, 
but  before  any  of  us  can  reload  the  peccaries  scamper 
away.  All  of  us  quickly  descend  from  our  perches  and 
rush  after  the  retreating  animals,  loading  our  guns  as  wo 
run,  but  our  brave  foes  suddenly  halt  and  face  us  with  a 
look  of  defiance,  and  again  make  a  gallant  charge.  How 
ignominious  we  appeared  as  we  in  our  turn  beat  a  hurried 
retreat  to  the  nearest  trees,  where,  not  having  time  or 
finaing  conveniences  for  a  climb,  we  were  forced  to  imitate 
Jose's  example  and  face  the  enemy  with  knives ;  but  the 
peccaries  after  a  momentary  pause,  dashed  onward  and 
disappeared  amidst  the  tall  grass  of  the  borders  of  the 
swamps,  crossed  the  marshes,  and  entered  the  jungle  of  the 
buritys. 

Although  the  whole  thing  happened  within  a  few  mo- 
ments, there  were  quite  enough  elements  of  danger  to  spice 
the  sport,  for,  if  in  making  our  retreat  any  of  us  had 


Wells]  BESIEGED  BY  PECCARIES.  455 

stumbled  and  fallen,  the  consequences  must  have  been 
serious,  if  not  fatal.  I  prefer  the  pig-sticking  on  mule- 
back  with  our  extemporized  spears.  We  gave  the  coup  dc 
grace  to  the  wounded,  but  many  got  away  only  partially 
damaged.  We  found  our  bag  amounted  to  ten  pigs,  all  in 
excellent  condition. 

As  Jose  and  his  sons  were  anxious  for  another  tussle,  we 
proceeded  up  the  valley,  and  soon  saw  here  and  there  a 
solitary  grunter  outside  the  growth  of  palms  and  aquatic 
vegetation  of  the  swamps ;  and  frequent  grunts,  heard 
amidst  the  groves,  indicated  the  presence  of  considerable 
numbers  of  our  foes. 

A  little  farther  on,  a  spit  of  firm  land,  only  covered  with 
short  grass,  extended  to  near  the  groves,  but  no  one  cared 
to  venture  so  far  from  the  friendly  sanctuary  of  the  trees 
and  possibly  meet  a  huge  anaconda  coiled  up  in  the 
swamp. 

Jose  Grosso  and  one  of  our  host's  sons  now  returned  to 
remain  with  the  animals,  whilst  we  proceeded  a  little  far- 
ther on  in  quest  of  a  stray  peccary.  We  walked  about  a 
mile,  but  found  not  what  we  hoped  for;  but  on  returning 
some  peccaries  were  seen  straying  towards  the  hills  in  twos 
or  threes,  homeward-bound  to  their  lairs  in  the  dells  and 
grottos  of  the  sources  of  streams  at  the  foot  of  the  bluffs 
of  the  Chapadas.  We  worked  our  way  amidst  the  trees, 
and  eventually  obtained  a  few  long  shots,  and  succeeded  in 
bagging  two  more. 

It  became  a  question  whether  we  should  pursue  our 
journey  to  enable  me  to  take  my  notes,  and  camp  out  and 
have  another  probable  night-attack  of  peccaries,  or  return 
to  Matto  Grande.  I  thought  a  night  of  peace  and  quiet- 
ness preferable,  although  perhaps  very  unsportsmanlike, 
and  so  we  wended  our  way  homeward. 

It  is  rather  unusual  that  these  peccaries  make  such  a 


456  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Pfeiffer 

brave  fight  in  daylight,  but  it  was  chiefly  owing  to  their 
accidentally  finding  themselves  in  such  considerable  num- 
bers on  this  occasion,  as  they  are  commonly  scattered  over 
their  feeding-grounds  in  very  small  parties  during  the  day, 
and  return  to  a  common  haunt  at  night,  whence  they  sally 
out  in  immense  numbers  upon  any  foe  that  trespasses  upon 
their  neighborhood,  like  when  they  tracked  our  dogs  in  the 
Sapao. 


THE  PERILS  OF  TRAVEL. 

IDA    PFEIFFER. 

[Among  travellers  there  have  been  few  more  ardent  and  enter- 
prising than  the  woman  from  whose  writings  our  present  selection  is 
made.  Ida  Pfeiffer  was  born  in  Vienna  about  1795,  married,  brought 
up  and  educated  her  two  sons,  and  in  1842,  when  nearly  fifty  years  of 
age,  set  out  on  a  series  of  travels  which  she  had  long  contemplated, 
and  in  which  she  spent  the  succeeding  ten  years.  After  a  series  of 
travels  in  Asia  Minor,  Scandinavia,  and  Iceland,  she  set  out  in  1846 
on  a  tour  of  the  world,  which  was  not  accomplished  without  great 
hardships  and  dangers.  In  1851  she  entered  on  a  second  journey 
around  the  world,  visiting  various  new  countries.  She  died  in  1858. 
From  her  "  A  "Woman's  Journey  round  the  World"  we  select  the  fol- 
lowing thrilling  experience.  She  had  set  out  from  Kio  Janeiro,  in 
company  with  Count  Berchthold,  on  an  excursion  to  Petropolis,  a 
German  colony  in  the  vicinity.  Suddenly,  in  a  lonely  spot,  a  negro 
sprang  out  upon  them,  knife  and  lasso  in  hand,  indicating  by  gestures 
that  he  intended  to  murder  them  and  drag  their  bodies  into  the  forest. 
She  gives  a  vivid  description  of  what  followed.] 

We  had  no  arms,  as  we  had  been  told  that  the  road  was 
perfectly  safe,  and  the  only  weapons  of  defence  which  we 
possessed  were  our  parasols,  if  I  except  a  clasped  knife, 
which  I  instantly  drew  out  of  my  pocket  and  opened,  fully 
determined  to  sell  my  life  as  dearly  as  possible.  We  par- 
ried our  adversary's  blows  as  long  as  we  could  with  our 


53 
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Pfeiffer]  THE  PERILS  OF  TRAVEL.  457 

parasols,  but  these  lasted  but  a  short  time;  besides,  he 
caught  hold  of  mine,  which,  as  we  were  struggling  for  it, 
broke  short  off,  leaving  only  a  piece  of  the  handle  in  my 
hand.  In  the  struggle,  however,  he  dropped  his  knife, 
which  rolled  a  few  steps  from  him ;  I  instantly  made  a 
dash,  and  thought  I  had  got  it,  when  he,  more  quick  than 
I,  thrust  me  away  with  his  feet  and  hands,  and  once  more 
obtained  possession  of  it.  He  waved  it  furiously  over  my 
head,  and  dealt  me  two  wounds,  a  thrust  and  a  deep  gash, 
both  in  the  upper  part  of  the  left  arm ;  I  thought  I  was 
lost,  and  despair  alone  gave  me  the  courage  to  use  my  own 
knife.  I  made  a  thrust  at  his  breast ;  this  he  warded  off, 
and  I  only  succeeded  in  wounding  him  severely  in  the 
hand.  The  Count  sprang  forward  and  seized  the  fellow 
from  behind,  and  thus  afforded  me  an  opportunity  of 
raising  myself  from  the  ground.  The  whole  affair  had  not 
taken  more  than  a  few  seconds. 

The  negro's  fury  was  now  roused  to  its  highest  pitch  by 
the  wounds  he  had  received.  He  gnashed  his  teeth  at  us 
like  a  wild  beast,  and  flourished  his  knife  with  frightful 
rapidity.  The  Count,  in  his  turn,  had  received  a  cut  right 
across  the  hand,  and  we  had  been  irrevocably  lost,  had  not 
Providence  sent  us  assistance.  We  heard  the  tramp  of 
horses'  hoofs  upon  the  road,  upon  which  the  negro  in- 
stantly left  us  and  sprang  into  the  wood.  Immediately 
afterwards  two  horsemen  turned  a  corner  of  the  road,  and 
we  hurried  towards  them  ;  our  wounds,  which  were  bleed- 
ing freely,  and  the  way  in  which  our  parasols  were  hacked, 
soon  made  them  understand  the  state  of  affairs.  They 
asked  us  which  direction  the  fugitive  had  taken,  and, 
springing  from  their  horses,  hurried  after  him  ;  their  efforts, 
however,  would  have  been  fruitless,  if  two  negroes,  who 
were  coming  from  the  opposite  side,  had  not  helped  them. 
As  it  was,  the  fellow  was  soon  captured, 
u  39 


458  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Pfeiffer 

He  was  pinioned,  and,  as  he  would  not  walk,  severely 
beaten,  most  of  the  blows  being  dealt  upon  the  head,  so 
that  I  feared  the  poor  fellow's  skull  would  be  broken.  In 
spite  of  this,  he  never  moved  a  muscle,  and  lay,  as  if  in- 
sensible to  feeling,  upon  the  ground.  The  two  other  ne- 
groes were  obliged  to  seize  hold  of  him,  when  he  endeav- 
ored to  bite  every  one  within  his  reach  like  a  wild  beast, 
and  carry  him  to  the  nearest  house.  Our  preservers,  as 
well  as  the  Count  and  myself,  accompanied  them.  We 
then  had  our  wounds  dressed,  and  afterwards  continued 
our  journey,  not,  it  is  true,  entirely  devoid  of  fear,  espe- 
cially when  we  met  one  or  more  negroes,  but  without  any 
further  mishap,  and  with  a  continually  increasing  admira- 
tion of  the  beautiful  scenery. 

[The  negro  was  supposed  to  be  either  drunk  or  insane,  but  it 
proved  that  he  had  been  punished  by  his  master  for  some  offence,  and 
took  that  mode  to  obtain  revenge.  Madame  Pfeiffer  penetrated  the 
Brazilian  forests,  and  thus  describes  the  aboriginal  savages.] 

On  a  small  space,  under  lofty  trees,  five  huts,  or  rather 
sheds,  formed  of  leaves,  were  erected,  eighteen  feet  long  by 
twelve  feet  broad.  The  frames  were  formed  of  four  poles 
stuck  in  the  ground,  with  another  reaching  across,  and  the 
roof  of  palm-leaves,  through  which  the  rain  could  penetrate 
with  the  utmost  facility.  On  three  sides  these  bowers  were 
entirely  open.  In  the  interior  hung  a  hammock  or  two, 
and  on  the  ground  glimmered  a  little  fire,  under  a  heap  of 
ashes,  in  which  a  few  roots,  Indian  corn,  and  bananas  were 
roasting.  In  one  corner,  under  the  roof,  a  small  supply  of 
provisions  was  hoarded  up,  and  a  few  gourds  were  scattered 
around ;  these  are  used  by  the  savages  instead  of  plates, 
pots,  water-jugs,  etc.  The  long-bows  and  arrows,  which 
constitute  their  only  weapons,  were  leaning  in  the  back- 
ground against  the  wall. 


Pfbiffer]  THE  PERILS  OF  TRAVEL.  459 

I  found  the  Indians  still  more  ugly  than  the  negroes. 
Their  complexion  is  a  light  bronze,  they  are  stunted  in 
stature,  well-knit,  and  about  the  middle  size.  They  have 
broad  and  somewhat  compressed  features,  and  thick,  coal- 
black  hair,  hanging  straight  down,  which  the  women  some- 
times wear  in  plaits,  fastened  to  the  back  of  the  head,  and 
sometimes  falling  down  loose  about  them.  Their  forehead 
is  broad  and  low,  the  nose  somewhat  flattened,  the  eyes 
long  and  narrow,  almost  like  those  of  the  Chinese,  and 
the  mouth  large,  with  rather  thick  lips.  To  give  a  still 
greater  effect  to  all  these  various  charms,  a  peculiar  look 
of  stupidity  is  spread  over  the  whole  face,  and  is  more 
especially  to  be  attributed  to  the  way  in  which  their 
mouths  are  always  kept  open.  Most  of  them,  both  men 
and  women,  were  tattooed  with  a  reddish  or  blue  color, 
though  only  round  the  mouth,  in  the  form  of  a  moustache. 
Both  sexes  are  passionately  fond  of  smoking,  and  prefer 
brandy  to  everything.  Their  dress  was  composed  of  a  few 
rags,  which  they  had  fastened  round  their  loins. 

The  good  creatures  offered  me  the  best  hut  they  pos- 
sessed, and  invited  me  to  pass  the  night  there.  Being 
rather  fatigued  by  the  toilsome  nature  of  my  journey  on 
foot,  the  heat,  and  the  hunting-excursion,  I  very  joyfully 
accepted  their  proposition  ;  the  day,  too,  was  drawing  to  a 
close,  and  I  should  not  have  been  able  to  reach  the  settle- 
ment of  the  whites  before  night.  I  therefore  spread  out 
my  cloak  upon  the  ground,  arranged  a  log  of  wood  so  as  to 
serve  instead  of  a  pillow,  and  for  the  present  seated  myself 
upon  my  splendid  couch.  In  the  mean  while  my  hosts 
were  preparing  the  monkey  and  the  parrots,  by  sticking 
them  on  wooden  spits  and  roasting  them  before  tho  fire. 

In  order  to  render  the  meal  a  peculiarly  dainty  one,  they 
also  buried  some  Indian  corn  and  roots  in  the  cinders. 
They  then  gathered  a  few  large  fresh  leaves  off  the  trees, 


460  HALF-HOURS  OF   TRAVEL.  [Pfeiffkk 

tore  the  roasted  ape  into  several  pieces  with  their  hands, 
and,  placing  a  large  portion  of  it,  as  well  as  a  parrot,  Indian 
corn,  and  some  roots,  upon  the  leaves,  put  it  before  me. 
My  appetite  was  tremendous,  seeing  that  I  had  tasted 
nothing  since  the  morning.  I  therefore  immediately  fell 
to  upon  the  roasted  monkey,  which  I  found  superlatively 
delicious;  the  flesh  of  the  parrot  was  far  from  being  so 
tender  and  palatable. 

[As  we  have  begun  this  selection  with  a  perilous  adventure  of  our 
lady  traveller,  some  other  perils  encountered  by  her  in  other  parts  of  the 
world  may  fitly  close  it.  The  following  experience  in  a  tiger-hunt  took 
place  in  India,  during  an  excursion  to  the  rock  temples  of  Ellora.] 

I  had  scarcely  left  the  gates  of  the  town  behind,  when  I 
perceived  a  number  of  Europeans  seated  upon  elephants, 
coming  from  the  bungalow.  On  meeting  each  other  we 
pulled  up  and  commenced  a  conversation.  The  gentlemen 
were  on  the  road  to  search  for  a  tiger-lair,  of  which  they 
had  received  intimation,  and  invited  me,  if  such  a  sport 
would  not  frighten  me  too  much,  to  take  part  in  it.  I  was 
greatly  delighted  to  receive  the  invitation,  and  was  soon 
seated  on  one  of  the  elephants,  in  a  howdah  about  two 
feet  high,  in  which  there  were  already  two  gentlemen  and 
a  native, — the  latter  had  been  brought  to  load  the  guns. 
They  gave  me  a  large  knife  to  defend  myself,  in  case  the 
animal  should  spring  too  high  and  reach  the  side  of  the 
howdah.  Thus  prepared,  we  approached  the  chain  of  hills, 
and  after  a  lew  hours  we  were  already  pretty  near  the  lair 
of  the  tigers,  when  our  servants  cried  out  softly,  "  Bach, 
Bach!"  and  pointed  with  their  fingers  to  some  brushwood. 

I  had  scarcely  perceived  the  flaming  eyes  which  glared 
out  of  one  of  the  bushes  before  shots  were  fired.  Several 
balls  took  effect  upon  the  animal,  who  rushed,  maddened, 
upon   us.      He    made    such   tremendous   springs,    that    I 


Pfeiffer]  THE  PERILS   OF   TRAVEL.  461 

thought  every  moment  he  must  reach  the  howdah,  and 
select  a  victim  from  among  us.  The  sight  was  terrible  to 
see,  and  my  apprehensions  were  increased  by  the  appear- 
ance of  another  tiger ;  however,  I  kept  myself  so  calm, 
that  none  of  the  gentlemen  had  any  suspicion  of  what  was 
going  on  in  my  mind.  Shot  followed  shot ;  the  elephants 
defended  their  trunks  with  great  dexterity  by  throwing 
them  up  or  drawing  them  in.  After  a  sharp  contest  of 
half  an  hour,  we  were  the  victors,  and  the  dead  animals 
were  triumphantly  stripped  of  their  beautiful  skins.  The 
gentlemen  politely  offered  me  one  of  them  as  a  present; 
but  I  declined  accepting  it,  as  I  could  not  postpone  my 
journey  sufficiently  long  for  it  to  be  dried. 

[iladame  Pfeiffer  had  a  courage  and  presence  of  mind  in  danger- 
ous and  difficult  situations  which  often  served  her  in  good  stead.  Cer- 
tainly it  needed  no  slight  courage  to  undertake  the  adventure  described 
in  our  next  selection,  a  journey  among  the  cannibal  Battakers  of 
Sumatra.  In  1835  two  American  missionaries  had  been  killed  and 
eaten  by  them,  and  such  a  journey  without  a  military  escort  seemed 
foolhardy.  But  she  persisted,  and  reached  a  village  on  the  borders 
of  the  Battaker  territory  July  19,  1852.  Here  she  sent  for  the  regents 
of  the  neighboring  villages.] 

In  the  evening  we  sat  in  solemn  conclave  surrounded  by 
regents,  and  by  a  great  crowd  of  the  people,  for  it  had 
been  noised  abroad  far  and  wide  that  here  was  a  white 
woman  who  was  about  to  venture  into  the  dreaded  country 
of  the  wild  Battakers.  Regents  and  people  all  concurred 
in  advising  me  to  renounce  so  perilous  a  project ;  but  I  had 
tolerably  made  up  my  mind  on  this  point,  and  I  only 
wanted  to  be  satisfied  as  to  one  thing, — namely,  whether  it 
was  true,  as  many  travellers  asserted,  that  the  Battakers 
did  not  put  their  victims  out  of  their  pain  at  once,  but  tied 
them  living  to  stakes,  and,  cutting  pieces  off  them,  con- 
sumed them  by  degrees  with  tobacco  and  salt. 

39* 


462  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Pfkiffkr 

The  idea  of  this  slow  torture  did  a  little  frighten  me; 
but  my  hearers  assured  me,  with  one  accord,  that  this  was 
only  done  to  those  who  were  regarded  as  criminals  of  a 
deep  dye,  and  who  had  been  on  that  account  condemned 
to  death.  Prisoners  of  war  are  tied  to  a  tree  and  be- 
headed at  once ;  but  the  blood  is  carefully  preserved  for 
drinking,  and  sometimes  made  into  a  kind  of  pudding  with 
boiled  rice.  The  body  is  then  distributed;  the  ears,  the 
nose,  and  the  soles  of  the  feet  are  the  exclusive  property 
of  the  rajah,  who  has  besides  a  claim  on  other  portions. 
The  palms  of  the  hands,  the  soles  of  the  feet,  the  flesh  of 
the  head,  and  the  heart  and  liver,  are  reckoned  peculiar 
delicacies,  and  the  flesh  in  general  is  roasted  and  eaten  with 
salt.  The  regents  assured  me,  with  a  certain  air  of  relish, 
that  it  was  very  good  food,  and  that  they  had  not  the  least 
objection  to  eat  it.  The  women  are  not  allowed  to  take 
part  in  these  grand  public  dinners.  A  kind  of  medicinal 
virtue  is  ascribed  to  trees  to  which  prisoners  have  been 
tied  when  they  have  been  put  to  death,  and  the  stem  is 
usually  cut  into  sticks  five  or  six  feet  long,  carved  into 
figures  or  arabesques,  and  decorated  with  human  hair; 
and  these  sticks  are  taken  in  hand  by  people  who  go  to 
visit  the  sick,  or  when  any  medicine  is  to  be  given. 

[Despite  this  gruesome  warning  the  daring  woman  continued  her 
journey,  and  prosecuted  it  until  the  13th  of  August,  when  she  found 
herself  in  the  most  imminent  peril.] 

More  than  eighty  armed  men  stood  in  the  pathway  and 
barred  our  passage,  and  before  we  were  aware  of  it,  their 
spearmen  had  formed  a  circle  around  me  and  shut  me  in, 
looking  the  while  indescribably  terrible  and  savage.  They 
were  tall  robust  men,  fully  six  feet  high  ;  their  features 
showed  the  most  violent  agitation,  and  their  huge  mouths 
and  projecting  teeth  had  really  more  resemblance  to  the 


Pfeiffek]  THE  PERILS  OF   TRAVEL.  463 

jaws  of  a  wild  beast  than  to  anything  human.  They 
yelled  and  made  a  dreadful  noise  about  me,  and  had  I  not 
been  in  some  measure  familiar  with  such  scenes,  I  should 
have  felt  sure  that  my  last  hour  was  at  hand. 

I  was  really  uneasy,  however :  the  scene  was  too  fright- 
ful ;  but  I  never  lost  my  presence  of  mind.  At  first  I  sat 
down  on  a  stone  that  lay  near,  endeavoring  to  look  as  com- 
posed and  confident  as  I  could ;  but  some  rajahs  then  came 
up  to  me  with  very  threatening  looks  and  gestures,  and 
gave  me  clearly  to  understand  that  if  I  did  not  turn  back 
they  would  kill  and  eat  me.  Their  words,  indeed,  I  did 
not  comprehend,  but  their  action  left  no  manner  of  doubt, 
for  they  pointed  with  their  knives  to  my  throat,  and 
gnashed  their  teeth  at  my  arm,  moving  their  jaws  then  as 
if  they  already  had  them  full  of  my  flesh. 

Of  course,  when  I  thought  of  coming  among  the  wild 
Battakers,  I  had  anticipated  something  of  this  sort,  and  I 
had  therefore  studied  a  little  speech  in  their  language  for 
such  an  occasion.  I  knew  if  I  could  say  anything  that 
would  amuse  them,  and  perhaps  make  them  laugh,  I  would 
have  a  great  advantage  over  them,  for  savages  are  quite 
like  children,  and  the  merest  trifle  will  often  make  them 
friends.  I  got  up,  therefore,  and  patting  one  of  the  most 
violent,  who  stood  next  me,  upon  the  shoulder  in  a  friendly 
manner,  said,  with  smiling  face,  in  a  jargon  half  Malay 
and  half  Battaker,  "  Why,  you  don't  mean  to  sny  you 
would  kill  and  eat  a  woman,  especially  such  an  old  one  as 
I  am !  I  must  be  very  hard  and  tough  !"  And  I  also  gave 
them  by  signs  and  words  to  understand  that  I  was  not  at 
all  afraid  of  them,  and  was  ready,  if  they  liked,  to  send 
back  my  guide,  if  they  would  only  take  me  as  far  as  the 
Eier-  Tau. 

Fortunately  for  me,  the  doubtless  very  odd  way  in  which 
I  pronounced  their  language,  and  my  pantomime,  diverted 


464  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Bates 

them,  and  they  began  to  laugh.  Perhaps,  also,  the  fearless 
confidence  which  I  manifested  made  a  good  impression; 
they  offered  me  their  hands,  the  circle  of  spearmen  opened, 
and,  rejoicing  not  a  little  at  having  escaped  this  danger,  I 
journeyed  on,  and  reached  in  perfect  safety  a  place  called 
Tugala,  where  the  rajah  received  me  into  his  house. 


BRAZILIAN  ANTS  AND  MONKEYS. 

HENRY   W.  BATES. 

[The  "Naturalist  in  the  Amazons"  of  Henry  Walter  Bates  is  a 
work  that  has  long  held  a  deserved  reputation  for  the  closeness  .and 
accuracy  of  its  observations  and  the  interest  of  its  narrative.  The 
author,  born  at  Leicester,  England,  in  1825,  accompanied  the  noted 
biologist,  Alfred  Kussell  Wallace,  to  Brazil,  the  story  of  which 
journey  is  given  in  the  work  cited.  From  it  we  extract  some  passages 
concerning  the  animal  life  of  that  country,  embracing  the  doings  of 
the  "leaf-cutting"  ants  and  the  monkeys.  Our  selections  begin  in 
the  suburbs  of  Para.] 

In  the  gardens  numbers  of  fine  showy  butterflies  were 
seen.  There  were  two  swallow-tailed  species,  similar  in 
colors  to  the  English  Papilio  machaon,  a  white  Pieris  (P. 
monuste),  and  two  or  three  species  of  brimstone-  and 
orange-colored  butterflies,  which  do  not  belong,  however, 
to  the  same  genus  as  our  English  species.  In  weedy  places 
a  beautiful  butterfly  with  eye-like  spots  on  its  wings  was 
common,  the  Junonia  lavinia,  the  only  Amazonian  species 
which  is  at  all  nearly  related  to  our  Vanessas,  the  Admiral 
and  Peacock  butterflies. 

One  day  we  made  our  first  acquaintance  with  two  of  the 
most  beautiful  productions  of  nature  in  this  department, — 
namely,  the  Helicopis  cupido  and  endymion.     A  little  be- 


Batks]  BRAZILIAN  ANTS  AND   MONKEYS.  405 

yond  our  house  one  of  the  narrow  green  lanes  which  I 
have  already  mentioned  diverged  from  the  mongabu 
avenue,  and  led  between  enclosures  overrun  with  a  pro- 
fusion of  creeping  plants  and  glorious  flowers  down  to  a 
moist  hollow,  where  there  was  a  public  well  and  a  pictu- 
resque nook,  buried  in  a  grove  of  mucaja  palm-trees.  On 
the  tree-trunks,  walls,  and  palings  grew  a  great  quantity 
of  climbing  Pothos  plants,  with  large,  glossy,  heart-shaped 
leaves.  These  plants  were  the  resort  of  these  two  exquisite 
species,  and  we  captured  a  great  number  of  specimens. 
They  are  of  extremely  delicate  texture.  The  wings  are 
cream-colored ;  the  hind  pair  have  several  tail-like  append- 
ages, and  are  spangled  beneath  as  if  with  silver.  Their 
flight  is  very  slow  and  feeble;  they  seek  the  protected  under 
surface  of  the  leaves,  and  in  repose  close  their  wings  over 
the  back,  so  as  to  expose  the  brilliantly  spotted  under 
surface. 

I  will  pass  over  the  man}-  orders  and  families  of  insects, 
and  proceed  at  once  to  the  ants.  These  were  in  great 
numbers  everywhere,  but  I  will  mention  here  only  two 
kinds.  We  were  amazed  at  seeing  ants  an  inch  and  a 
quarter  in  length,  and  stout  in  proportion,  marching  in 
single  file  through  the  thickets.  These  belonged  to  the 
species  called  Dinoponera  grandis.  Its  colonies  consist  of 
a  small  number  of  individuals,  and  are  established  about 
the  roots  of  slender  trees.  It  is  a  stinging  species,  but  the 
sting  is  not  so  severe  as  in  many  of  the  smaller  kinds. 
There  was  nothing  peculiar  or  attractive  in  the  habits  of 
this  giant  among  the  ants.  Another  far  more  interesting 
species  was  the  Saiiba  (CEcodoma  cephalotes).  This  ant  is 
seen  everywhere  about  the  suburbs,  marching  to  and  fro 
in  broad  columns.  From  its  habit  of  despoiling  the  most 
valuable  cultivated  trees  of  their  foliage,  it  is  a  great 
scourge  to  the  Brazilians.  In  some  districts  it  is  so  abun- 
I. — ee 


466  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Bates 

dant  that  agriculture  is  almost  impossible,  and  every- 
where complaints  are  heard  of  the  terrible  pest.  .  .  . 

In  our  first  walks  we  were  puzzled  to  account  for  large 
mounds  of  earth,  of  a  different  color  from  the  surrounding 
soil,  which  were  thrown  up  in  the  plantations  and  woods. 
Some  of  them  were  very  extensive,  being  forty  yards  in  cir- 
cumference, but  not  more  than  two  feet  in  height.  We 
soon  ascertained  that  these  were  the  work  of  the  Saiibas, 
being  the  outworks  or  domes  which  overlie  and  pi'otect 
the  entrances  to  their  vast  subterranean  galleries.  On 
close  examination  I  found  the  earth  of  which  they  are 
composed  to  consist  of  very  minute  granules,  agglomerated 
with  cement,  and  forming  many  rows  of  little  ridges  and 
turrets.  The  difference  in  color  from  the  superficial  soil 
of  the  vicinity  is  owing  to  their  being  formed  of  the  under- 
soil, brought  up  from  a  considerable  depth. 

It  is  very  rarely  that  the  ants  are  seen  at  work  on  these 
mounds ;  the  entrances  seem  to  be  generally  closed  ;  only 
now  and  then,  when  some  particular  work  is  going  on,  are 
the  galleries  opened.  The  entrances  are  small  and  numer- 
ous ;  in  the  larger  hillocks  it  would  require  a  great  amount 
of  excavation  to  get  at  the  main  galleries ;  but  I  succeeded 
in  removing  portions  of  the  dome  in  smaller  hillocks,  and 
then  I  found  that  the  minor  entrances  converged,  at  the 
depth  of  about  two  feet,  to  one  broad,  elaborately  worked 
gallery  or  mine,  which  was  four  or  five  inches  in  diameter. 

The  habit  in  the  Sauba  ant  of  clipping  and  carrying 
away  immense  quantities  of  leaves  has  long  been  recorded 
in  books  on  natural  history.  When  employed  on  this  work 
their  processions  look  like  a  multitude  of  animated  leaves 
on  the  march.  In  some  places  I  found  an  accumulation  of 
such  leaves,  all  circular  pieces,  about  the  size  of  a  sixpence, 
lying  on  the  pathway,  unattended  by  ants,  and  at  some 
distance  from  the  colony.     Such  heaps  are  always  found 


Bates]  BRAZILIAN  ANTS  AND  MONKEYS.  467 

to  be  removed  when  the  place  is  revisited  the  next  day. 
In.  course  of  time  I  had  plenty  of  opportunities  of  seeing 
them  at  work.  They  mount  the  trees  in  multitudes,  the 
individuals  being  all  worker-miners.  Each  one  places  itself 
on  the  surface  of  a  leaf,  and  cuts  with  its  sharp,  scissor- 
like  jaws,  and  by  a  sharp  jerk  detaches  the  piece.  Some- 
times they  let  the  leaf  drop  to  the  ground,  where  a  little 
heap  accumulates  until  carried  away  by  another  relay  of 
workers ;  but  generally  each  marches  off  with  the  piece  it 
has  operated  upon,  and,  as  all  take  the  same  road  to  their 
colony,  the  path  they  follow  becomes  in  a  short  time  smooth 
and  bare,  looking  like  the  impression  of  a  cart-wheel 
through  the  herbage. 

It  is  a  most  interesting  sight  to  see  the  vast  host  of  busy 
diminutive  laborers  occupied  on  this  work.  Unfortunately, 
they  choose  cultivated  trees  for  their  purpose.  This  ant  is 
quite  peculiar  to  tropical  America,  as  is  the  entire  genus  to 
which  it  belongs.  It  sometimes  despoils  the  young  trees 
of  species  growing  wild  in  its  native  forests;  but  it  seems 
to  prefer,  when  within  reach,  plants  imported  from  other 
countries,  such  as  the  coffee-  and  orange-trees.  .  .  .  The 
heavily-laden  workers,  each  carrying  its  segment  of  leaf 
vertically,  the  lower  edge  secured  in  its  mandibles,  troop 
up  and  cast  their  burdens  on  the  hillock;  another  relay 
of  laborers  place  the  leaves  in  position,  covering  them  with 
a  layer  of  earthy  granules,  which  are  brought  one  by  one 
from  the  soil  beneath. 

The  underground  abodes  of  this  wonderful  ant  aro 
known  to  be  very  extensive.  The  Rev.  Hamlet  Clark  has 
related  that  the  Sauba  of  Rio  de  Janeiro,  a  species  closely 
allied  to  ours,  has  excavated  a  tunnel  under  the  bed  of  the 
river  Parahyba  at  a  place  where  it  is  as  broad  as  the 
Thames  at  London  Bridge.  At  the  Magoary  rice-mills, 
near  Para,  these  ants  once  pierced  the  embankment  of  a 


468  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Bates 

large  reservoir;  the  great  body  of  water  which  it  contained 
escaped  before  the  damage  could  be  repaired.  In  the 
Botanic  Gardens  at  Para  an  enterprisng  French  gardener 
tried  all  he  could  think  of  to  extirpate  the  Saiiba.  With 
this  object  he  made  fires  over  some  of  the  main  entrances 
to  their  colonics,  and  blew  the  fumes  of  sulphur  down  the 
galleries  by  means  of  bellows.  I  saw  the  smoke  issue 
from  a  great  number  of  outlets,  one  of  which  was  seventy 
yards  distant  from  the  place  where  the  bellows  were  used. 
This  shows  how  extensively  the  underground  galleries  are 
ramified. 

Besides  injuring  and  destroying  young  trees  by  despoil- 
ing them  of  their  foliage,  the  Saiiba  ant  is  troublesome  to 
the  inhabitants  from  its  habit  of  plundering  the  stores  of 
provisions  in  houses  at  night,  for  it  is  even  more  active  at 
night  than  in  the  daytime.  At  first  I  was  inclined  to  dis- 
credit the  stories  of  their  entering  habitations  and  carrying 
off  grain  by  grain  the  farinba  or  mandioca  meal,  the  bread 
of  the  poorer  classes  of  Brazil.  At  length,  while  residing 
at  an  Indian  village  on  the  Tapajos,  I  had  ample  proof  of 
the  fact.  One  night  my  servant  woke  me  three  or  four 
times  before  sunrise  by  calling  out  that  the  rats  were  rob- 
bing the  farinha  baskets.  The  article  at  that  time  was 
scarce  and  dear.  I  got  up,  listened,  and  found  the  noise 
very  unlike  that  made  by  rats.  So  I  took  the  light  and 
went  into  the  store-room,  which  was  close  to  my  sleeping- 
place.  I  there  found  a  broad  column  of  Saiiba  ants,  con- 
sisting of  thousands  of  individuals,  as  busy  as  possible, 
passing  to  and  fro  between  the  door  and  my  precious  bas- 
kets. Most  of  those  passing  outward  were  laden  each 
with  a  grain  of  farinha,  which  was,  in  some  cases,  larger 
and  many  times  heavier  than  the  bodies  of  the  carriers. 

Farinha  consists  of  grains  of  similar  size  and  appearance 
to  the  tapioca  of  our  shops ;  both  are  products  of  the  same 


Bates]  BRAZILIAN  ANTS  AND   MONKEYS.  469 

root,  tapioca  being  the  pure  starch,  and  farinha  the  starch 
mixed  with  woody  fibre,  the  latter  ingredient  giving  it  a 
yellowish  color.  It  was  amusing  to  see  some  of  the  dwarfs, 
the  smallest  members  of  their  family,  staggering  along, 
completely  hidden  under  their  load.  The  baskets,  which 
were  on  a  high  table,  were  entirely  covered  with  ants, 
many  hundreds  of  whom  were  employed  in  snipping  the 
dry  leaves  which  served  as  lining.  This  produced  the 
rustling  sound  which  had  at  first  disturbed  us.  My  ser- 
vant told  me  that  they  would  carry  off  the  whole  contents 
of  the  two  baskets  (about  two  bushels)  in  the  course  of 
the  night  if  they  were  not  driven  off,  so  we  tried  to  exter- 
minate them  by  killing  them  with  our  wooden  clogs.  It 
was  impossible,  however,  to  prevent  fresh  hosts  coming  in 
as  fast  as  we  killed  their  companions.  They  returned  the 
next  night,  and  I  was  then  obliged  to  lay  trains  of  gun- 
powder along  their  line  and  blow  them  up.  This,  repeated 
many  times,  at  last  seemed  to  intimidate  them,  for  we  were 
free  from  their  visits  during  the  remainder  of  my  residence 
at  the  place. 

What  they  did  with  the  hard  dry  grains  of  mandioea  I 
was  never  able  to  ascertain,  and  cannot  even  conjecture. 
The  meal  contains  no  gluten,  and  therefore  would  be  use- 
less as  cement.  It  contains  only  a  small  relative  portion 
of  starch,  and,  when  mixed  with  water,  it  separates  and 
falls  away  like  so  much  earthy  matter.  It  may  serve  as 
food  for  the  subterranean  workers.  But  the  young  or 
larvae  of  ants  are  usually  fed  by  juices  secreted  by  the 
worker-nurses. 

[Leaving  the  ant8  with  this  example  of  their  curious  habits,  we 
shall  proceed  with  the  author's  description  of  Brazilian  monkeys.] 

I  have  already  mentioned  that  monkeys  were  rare  in  the 
immediate   vicinity  of  Para.     I   met  with   three  species 

40 


470  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Bates 

only  in  the  forest  near  the  city;  they  are  shy  animals  and 
avoid  the  neighborhood  of  towns,  where  they  are  subject 
to  much  persecution  by  the  inhabitants,  who  kill  them  for 
food.  The  only  kind  which  I  saw  frequently  was  the  little 
Midas  ursulus,  one  of  the  Marmosets,  a  family  peculiar  to 
tropical  America,  and  differing  in  many  essential  points  of 
structure  and  habits  from  all  other  apes.  They  are  small 
in  size,  and  more  like  squirrels  than  true  monkeys  in  their 
manner  of  climbing.  The  nails,  except  those  of  the  hind 
thumbs,  are  long  and  claw-shaped  like  those  of  squirrels, 
and  the  thumbs  of  the  fore  extremities,  or  hands,  are  not 
opposable  to  the  other  fingers.  I  do  not  mean  to  convey 
that  they  have  a  near  relationship  to  squirrels,  which 
belong  to  the  Eodents,  an  inferior  order  of  mammals ;  their 
resemblance  to  those  animals  is  merely  a  superficial  one. 
They  have  two  molar  teeth  less  in  each  jaw  than  the 
Cebidse,  the  other  family  of  American  monkeys;  they 
agree  with  them,  however,  in  the  sideway  position  of  the 
nostrils,  a  character  which  distinguishes  both  from  all  the 
monkeys  of  the  Old  World.  The  body  is  long  and  slender, 
clothed  with  soft  hairs,  and  the  tail,  which  is  nearly  twice 
the  length  of  the  trunk,  is  not  prehensile.  The  hind  limbs 
are  much  larger  in  volume  than  the  anterior  pair. 

The  Midas  ursulus  is  never  seen  in  large  flocks;  three  or 
four  is  the  greatest  number  observed  together.  It  seems 
to  be  less  afraid  of  the  neighborhood  of  man  than  any 
other  monkey.  I  sometimes  saw  it  in  the  woods  which 
border  the  suburban  streets,  and  once  I  espied  two  individ- 
uals in  a  thicket  behind  the  English  consul's  house  at 
Nazareth.  Its  mode  of  progression  along  the  main  boughs 
of  the  lofty  trees  is  like  that  of  squirrels ;  it  does  not 
ascend  to  the  slender  branches,  or  take  those  wonderful 
flying  leaps  which  the  Cebidse  do,  whose  prehensile  tails 
,and  flexible  hands  fit  them  for  such  headlong  travelling. 


Bates]  BRAZILIAN  ANTS  AND  MONKEYS.         s       4/1 

It  confines  itself  to  the  larger  boughs  and  trunks  of  trees, 
the  long  nails  being  of  great  assistance  to  the  creature, 
enabling  it  to  cling  securely  to  the  bark ;  and  it  is  often 
seen  passing  rapidly  round  the  perpendicular  cylindrical 
trunks.  It  is  a  quick,  restless,  timid  little  creature,  and 
has  a  great  share  of  curiosity,  for  when  a  person  passes  by 
under  the  trees  along  which  a  flock  is  running,  they  always 
stop  for  a  few  moments  to  have  a  stare  at  the  intruder. 

In  Para  Midas  ursulus  is  often  seen  in  a  tame  state  in 
the  houses  of  the  inhabitants.  When  full  grown  it  is  about 
nine  inches  long,  independently  of  the  tail,  which  measures 
fifteen  inches.  The  fur  is  thick,  and  black  in  color,  with 
the  exception  of  a  reddish-brown  streak  down  the  middle 
of  the  back.  When  first  taken,  or  when  kept  tied  up,  it 
is  very  timid  and  irritable.  It  will  not  allow  itself  to  be 
approached,  but  keeps  retreating  backward  when  any  one 
attempts  to  coax  it.  It  is  always  in  a  querulous  humor, 
uttering  a  twittering,  complaining  noise  ;  its  dark,  watchful 
eyes,  expressive  of  distrust,  observant  of  every  movement 
which  takes  place  near  it.  When  treated  kindly,  however, 
as  it  generally  is  in  the  houses  of  the  natives,  it  becomes 
very  tame  and  familiar.  I  once  saw  one  as  playful  as  a 
kitten,  running  about  the  house  after  the  negro  children, 
who  fondled  it  to  their  heart's  content.  It  acted  some- 
what differently  towards  strangers,  and  seemed  not  to  like 
them  to  sit  in  the  hammock  which  was  slung  in  the  room, 
leaping  up,  trymg  to  bite,  and  otherwise  annoying  them. 

It  is  generally  fed  on  sweet  fruits,  such  as  the  banana, 
but  it  is  also  fond  of  insects,  especially  soft-bodied  spiders 
and  grasshoppers,  which  it  will  snap  up  with  eagerness 
when  within  reach.  The  expression  of  countenance  in 
these  small  monkeys  is  intelligent  and  pleasing.  This  is 
partly  owing  to  the  open  facial  angle,  which  is  given  as  one 
of  sixty  degrees ;  but  the  quick  movements  of  the  head,  and 


472  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Bates 

the  way  they  have  of  inclining  it  to  one  side  when  their 
curiosity  is  excited,  contribute  very  much  to  give  them  a 
knowing  expression.  Anatomists  who  have  dissected 
species  of  Midas  tell  us  that  the  brain  is  of  a  very  low 
type  as  far  as  the  absence  of  convolutions  goes,  the  surface 
being  as  smooth  as  that  of  a  squirrel's.  I  should  conclude 
at  once  that  this  character  is  an  unsafe  guide  in  judging 
of  the  mental  qualities  of  these  animals ;  in  mobility  of 
expression  of  countenance,  intelligence,  and  general  man- 
ners these  small  monkeys  resemble  the  higher  apes  far 
more  than  they  do  any  rodent  animal  with  which  I  am 
acquainted. 

On  the  upper  Amazon  I  once  saw  a  tame  individual  of 
the  Midas  leoninus,  a  species  first  described  by  Humboldt, 
which  was  still  more  playful  and  intelligent  than  the  one 
just  described.  This  rare  and  beautiful  little  monkey  is 
only  seven  inches  in  length,  exclusive  of  the  tail.  It  is 
named  leoninus  on  account  of  the  long  brown  mane  which 
depends  from  the  neck,  and  which  gives  it  very  much  the 
appearance  of  a  diminutive  lion.  In  the  house  where  it 
was  kept  it  was  familiar  with  every  one;  its  greatest 
pleasure  seemed  to  be  to  climb  about  the  bodies  of  different 
persons  who  entered.  The  first  time  I  went  in,  it  ran 
across  the  room  straightway  to  the  chair  on  which  I  sat 
down  and  climbed  up  to  my  shoulder;  arrived  there,  it 
turned  round  and  looked  into  my  face,  showing  its  little 
teeth,  and  chattering,  as  though  it  would  say,  "  Well,  and 
how  do  you  do?"  It  showed  more  affection  towards  its 
master  than  towards  strangers,  and  would  climb  up  to  his 
head  a  dozen  times  in  the  course  of  an  hour,  making  a 
great  show  every  time  of  searching  there  for  certain 
animalcula. 

Isidore  Geoffrey  St.  Hilaire  relates  of  a  species  of  this 
genus  that  it  distinguished  between  different  objects  de- 


Bates]  BRAZILIAN  ANTS  AND   MONKEYS.  473 

picted  on  an  engraving.  M..  Audouin  showed  it  the  por- 
traits of  a  cat  and  a  wasp ;  at  these  it  became  much  terri- 
fied ;  whereas  at  the  sight  of  a  figure  of  a  grasshopper  or 
beetle  it  precipitated  itself  on  the  picture,  as  if  to  seize  the 
objects  there  represented.  /* 

Although  monkeys  are  now  rare  in  a  wild  state  near 
Para,  a  great  number  may  be  seen  semi- domesticated  in 
the  city.  The  Brazilians  are  fond  of  pet  animals.  Mon- 
keys, however,  have  not  been  known  to  breed  in  captivity 
in  this  country.  I  counted  in  a  short  time  thirteen  dif- 
erent  species  while  walking  about  the  Para  streets,  either 
at  the  doors  or  windows  of  houses,  or  in  the  native  canoes. 
Two  of  them  I  did  not  meet  with  afterwards  in  any  other 
part  of  the  country.  One  of  these  was  the  well  known 
Hapale  jacchus,  a  little  creature  resembling  a  kitten,  banded 
with  black  and  gray  all  over  the  body  and  tail,  and  having 
a  fringe  of  long  white  hairs  surrounding  the  ears.  It 
was  seated  on  the  shoulder  of  a  young  mulatto  girl,  as  she 
was  walking  along  the  street,  and  I  was  told  had  been 
captured  in  the  island  of  Marajo.  The  other  was  a  species 
of  Cebas,  with  a  remarkably  large  head.  It  had  ruddy 
brown  fur,  paler  on  the  face,  but  presenting  a  blackish  tuft 
on  the  top  of  the  forehead.  .  .  . 

The  only  monkeys  I  observed  at  Cam  eta  were  the  Couxio 
(Pithecia  satanas),  a  largo  species,  clothed  with  long 
brownish  black  hair,  and  the  tiny  Midas  argentatus.  The 
Couxio  has  a  thick  bushy  tail ;  the  hair  of  the  head  sits  on 
it  like  a  cap,  and  looks  as  if  it  had  been  carefully  combed. 
It  inhabits  only  the  most  retired  parts  of  tho  forest,  on  the 
terra  firma,  and  I  observed  nothing  of  its  habits.  Tho 
little  Midas  argentatus  is  one  of  the  rarest  of  the  American 
monkeys.  I  have  not  heard  of  its  being  found  anywhere 
except  near  Cameta.  I  once  saw  three  individuals  together 
running  along  a  branch  in  a  cacao  grove  near  Cameta ; 

40* 


474  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Bates 

they  looked   like  white  kittens:    in   their  motions   they 
resembled  precisely  the  Midas  ursulus  already  described. 

I  saw  afterwards  a  pet  animal  of  this  species,  and  heard 
that  there  were  many  so  kept,  and  that  they  were  esteemed 
as  choice  treasures.  The  one  I  saw  was  full  grown,  but  it 
measured  only  seven  inches  in  length  of  body.  It  was 
covered  with  long  white,  silky  hairs,  the  tail  was  blackish, 
and  the  face  nearly  naked  and  flesh-colored.  It  was  a  most 
timid  and  sensitive  little  thing.  The  woman  who  owned 
it  carried  it  constantly  in  her  bosom,  and  no  money  would 
induce  her  to  part  with  her  pet.  She  called  it  Mico.  It 
fed  from  her  mouth  and  allowed  her  to  fondle  it  freely,  but 
the  nervous  little  creature  would  not  permit  strangers  to 
touch  it.  If  any  one  attempted  to  do  so  it  shrank  back, 
the  whole  body  trembling  with  fear,  and  its  teeth  chattered, 
while  it  uttered  its  tremulous  frightened  tones.  The  ex- 
pression of  its  features  was  like  that  of  its  more  robust 
brother  Midas  ursulus ;  the  eyes,  which  were  black,  were 
full  of  curiosity  and  mistrust,  and  it  always  kept  them 
fixed  on  the  person  who  attempted  to  advance  towards  it. 

In  the  orange  groves  and  other  parts  humming-birds  were 
plentiful,  but  I  did  not  notice  more  than  three  species.  I 
saw  a  little  pigmy  belonging  to  the  genus  Phaethornis  one 
day  in  the  act  of  washing  itself  in  a  brook.  It  was  perched 
on  a  thin  branch,  whose  end  was  under  water.  It  dipped 
itself,  then  fluttered  its  wings  and  pruned  its  feathers,  and 
seemed  thoroughly  to  enjoy  itself  alone  in  the  shady  nook 
which  it  had  chosen,— a  place  overshadowed  by  broad  leaves 
of  ferns  and  Heliconiae.  I  thought  as  I  watched  it  that 
there  was  no  need  for  poets  to  invent  elves  and  gnomes 
while  nature  furnishes  us  with  such  marvellous  little 
sprites  ready  to  hand. 


Orton]  THE  MONARCHS  OF  THE  ANDES.  475 


THE  MONARCHS  OF  THE  ANDES. 

JAMES  ORTON. 

[The  story  of  the  Andes  and  the  great  river  to  which  this  mountain- 
chain  gives  hirth  has  never  been  better  told  than  in  Orton's  "The 
Andes  and  the  Amazon,"  from  whom  we  select  the  following  descrip- 
tion of  Chimborazo  and  its  mountain  neighbors.  James  Orton,  born 
at  Seneca  Tails,  New  York,  in  1830,  became  a  Congregationalist 
clergyman,  and  in  1867  headed  an  exploring  expedition  to  South 
America.  In  1873  he  sought  that  continent  again,  and  died  on  Lake 
Titicaca,  September  24,  1877.] 

Coming  up  from  Peru  through  the  cinchona  forests  of 
Loja,  and  over  the  barren  hills  of  Assuay,  the  traveller 
reaches  Riobamba  seated  on  the  threshold  of  magnificence, 
— like  Damascus,  an  oasis  in  a  sandy  plain,  but,  unlike  the 
Queen  of  the  East,  surrounded  with  a  splendid  retinue  of 
snowy  peaks  that  look  like  icebergs  floating  in  a  sea  of 
clouds. 

On  our  left  is  the  most  sublime  spectacle  in  the  New 
World.  It  is  a  majestic  pile  of  snow,  its  clear  outline  on 
the  deep  blue  sky  describing  the  profile  of  a  lion  in  repose. 
At  noon  the  vertical  sun,  and  the  profusion  of  light  re- 
flected from  the  glittering  surface,  will  not  allow  a  shadow 
to  be  cast  on  any  part,  so  that  you  can  easily  fancy  the 
figure  is  cut  out  of  a  mountain  of  spotless  marble.  This 
is  Chimborazo, — yet  not  the  whole  of  it, — you  see  but  a 
third  of  the  great  giant.  His  feet  are  as  eternally  green 
as  his  head  is  everlastingly  white ;  but  they  are  far  away 
beneath  the  banana  and  cocoanut  palms  of  the  Pacific  coast. 

Rousseau  was  disappointed  when  ho  first  saw  the  sea ; 
and  the  first  glimpse  of  Niagara  often  fails  to  meet  one's 
expectations.     But  Chimborazo  is  sure  of  a  worshipper  the 


476  HALF-HOURS   OF  TRAVEL.  [Orton 

moment  its  overwhelming  grandeur  breaks  upon  the  travel- 
ler. You  feel  that  you  are  in  the  presence-chamber  of  the 
monarch  of  the  Andes.  There  is  sublimity  in  his  kingly 
look  of  which  the  ocean  might  be  proud. 

"  All  that  expands  the  spirit,  yet  appeals, 
Gathers  around  this  summit,  as  if  to  show 
How  earth  may  pierce  to  heaven,  yet  leave  vain  man  helow." 

Well  do  we  remember  our  disappointment  as  we  stood 
before  that  wonder  of  the  world, — St.  Peter's.  We  mounted 
the  pyramid  of  steps  and  looked  up,  but  were  not  overcome 
by  the  magnificence.  We  read  in  our  guide-book  that  the 
edifice  covers  eight  acres,  and  to  the  tip-top  of  the  cross 
is  almost  five  hundred  feet ;  that  it  took  three  hundred  and 
fifty  years  and  twelve  successive  artists  to  finish  it  and  an 
expenditure  of  fifty  million  dollars,  and  now  costs  thirty 
thousand  dollars  per  annum  to  keep  it  in  repair,  still  we  do 
not  appreciate  its  greatness.  We  pushed  aside  the  curtain 
and  walked  in, — walked  a  day's  journey  across  the  transept 
and  up  and  down  the  everlasting  nave,  and  yet  continued 
heterodox.  We  tried  hard  to  believe  it  was  very  vast  and 
sublime,  and  we  knew  we  ought  to  feel  its  grandeur,  but 
somehow  we  did  not.  Then  we  sat  down  by  the  'Holy  of 
Holies,  and  there  we  were  startled  into  a  better  judgment 
by  the  astounding  fact  that  the  Cathedral  of  St.  Paul — the 
largest  edifice  in  Great  Britain — could  stand  upright,  spire, 
dome,  body,  and  all,  inside  of  St.  Peter's !  that  the  letters 
of  the  inscription  which  run  round  the  base  of  the  dome, 
though  apparently  but  an  inch,  are  in  reality  six  feet  high  I 
Then  for  the  first  time  the  scales  fell  from  our  eyes,  the 
giant  building  began  to  grow;  higher  and  higher  still  it 
rose,  longer  and  deeper  it  expanded,  yet  in  perfect  propor- 
tions ;  the  colossal  structure,  now  a  living  temple,  put  on 
its  beautiful  garments  and  the  robe  of  majesty.    And  that 


Orton]  THE  MONARCHS   OF  THE  ANDES.  477 

dome !  the  longer  we  looked  at  it  the  vaster  it  grew,  till 
finally  it  seemed  to  be  a  temple  not  made  with  hands ;  the 
spacious  canopy  became  the  firmament ;  the  mosaic  figures 
of  cherubim  and  seraphim  were  endowed  with  life;  and  as 
we  fixed  our  eyes  on  the  zenith  where  the  almighty  is  rep- 
resented in  glory,  we  thought  we  had  the  vision  of  Stephen. 
Long  we  gazed  upward  into  this  heaven  of  man's  creation, 
and  gazed  again  till  we  were  lost  in  wonder. 

But  the  traveller  needs  no  such  steps  to  lift  him  up  to 
the  grand  conception  of  the  divine  Architect  as  he  beholds 
the  gi'eat  white  dome  of  Chimborazo.  It  looks  lofty  from 
the  very  first.  Now  and  then  an  expanse  of  thin,  sky-like 
\Tapor  would  cut  the  mountain  in  twain,  and  the  dome, 
islanded  in  the  deep  blue  of  the  upper  regions,  seemed  to 
belong  more  to  heaven  than  to  earth.  We  knew  that 
Chimborazo  was  more  than  twice  the  altitude  of  Etna. 
We  could  almost  see  the  great  Humboldt  struggling  up  the 
mountain's  side  till  he  looked  like  a  black  speck  moving 
over  the  mighty  white,  but  giving  up  in  despair  four  thou- 
sand feet  below  the  summit.  We  see  the  intrepid  Bolivar 
mounting  still  higher;  but  the  hero  of  Spanish-American 
independence  returns  a  defeated  man.  Last  of  all  comes 
the  philosophic  Boussingault,  and  attains  the  prodigious  ele- 
vation of  nineteen  thousand  six  hundred  feet, — the  highest 
point  reached  by  man  without  the  aid  of  a  balloon ;  but 
the  dome  remains  unsullied  by  his  foot.  Yet  none  of  these 
facts  increase  our  admiration.  The  mountain  has  a  tongue 
which  speaks  louder  than  all  mathematical  calculations. 

There  must  be  something  singularly  sublime  about  Chim- 
borazo, for  the  spectator  at  Eiobamba  is  already  nine  thou- 
sand feet  high,  and  the  mountain  is  not  so  elevated  above 
him  as  Mont  Blanc  above  the  vale  of  Chamouni,  when,  in 
reality,  that  culminating  point  of  Europe  would  not  reach 
up  even  to  the  snow-limit  of  Chimborazo  by  two  thousand 


478  HALF-HOURS  OF   TRAVEL.  [Ortow 

feet.  It  is  only  while  sailing  on  the  Pacific  that  one  sees 
Chimborazo  in  its  complete  proportions.  Its  very  magnifi- 
cence diminishes  the  impression  of  awe  and  wonder,  for  the 
Andes  on  which  it  rests  are  heaved  to  such  a  vast  altitude 
above  the  sea,  that  the  relative  elevation  of  its  summit  be- 
comes reduced  by  comparison  with  the  surrounding  moun- 
tains. Its  altitude  is  twenty-one  thousand  four  hundred 
and  twenty  feet,  or  forty-five  times  the  height  of  Strasburg 
cathedral ;  or,  to  state  it  otherwise,  the  fall  of  one  pound 
from  the  top  of  Chimborazo  would  raise  the  temperature 
of  water  thirty  degrees.  One-fourth  of  this  is  perpetually 
covered  with  snow,  so  that  its  ancient  name  Chimpurazu — 
the  mountain  of  snow — is  very  appropriate.  It  is  a  stirring 
thought  that  this  mountain,  now  mantled  with  snow,  once 
gleamed  with  volcanic  fires.  There  is  a  hot  spring  on  the 
north  side,  and  an  immense  amount  of  debris  covers  the 
slope  below  the  snow-limit,  consisting  chiefly  of  fine-grained, 
iron-stained  trachyte  and  coarse  porphyroid  gray  trachyte ; 
very  rarely  a  dark  vitreous  trachyte.  Chimborazo  is  very 
likely  not  a  solid  mountain;  trachytic  volcanoes  are  sup- 
posed to  be  full  of  cavities.  Bouger  found  it  made  the 
plumb  line  deviate  7"  or  8". 

The  valleys  which  furrow  the  flank  of  Chimborazo  are  in 
keeping  with  its  colossal  size.  Narrower,  but  deeper,  than 
those  of  the  Alps,  the  mind  swoons  and  sinks  in  the  effort 
to  comprehend  their  grim  majesty.  The  mountain  appears 
to  have  been  broken  to  pieces  like  so  much  thin  crust,  and 
the  strata  thrown  on  their  vertical  edges,  revealing  deep, 
dark  chasms,  that  seem  to  lead  to  the  confines  of  the  lower 
world.  The  deepest  valley  in  Europe,  that  of  the  Ordesa 
in  the  Pyrenees,  is  three  thousand  two  hundred  feet  deep ; 
but  here  are  rents  in  the  side  of  Chimborazo  in  which 
Vesuvius  could  be  put  away  out  of  sight.  As  you  look 
down  into  the  fathomless  fissure,  you  see  a  white  fleck 


Orton]  THE  MONARCHS   OF   THE  ANDES.  479 

rising  out  of  the  gulf,  and  expanding  as  it  mounts,  till  the 
wings  of  the  condor,  fifteen  feet  in  spread,  glitters  in  the  sun 
as  the  proud  bird  fearlessly  wheels  over  the  dizzy  chasm, 
and  then,  ascending  above  your  head,  sails  over  the  dome 
of  Chimborazo.  Could  the  condor  speak,  what  a  glowing 
description  he  could  give  of  the  landscape  beneath  him 
when  his  horizon  is  a  thousand  miles  in  diameter !     If 

"  Twelve  fair  counties  saw  the  blaze  from  Malvern's  lonely  height," 

what  must  be  the  panorama  from  a  height  fifteen  times 
higher! 

Chimborazo  was  long  supposed  to  be  the  tallest  moun- 
tain on  the  globe,  but  its  supremacy  has  been  supplanted 
by  Mount  Everest  in  Asia,  and  Aconcagua  in  Chile.  In 
mountain  gloom  and  glory,  however,  it  still  stands  un- 
rivalled. The  Alps  have  the  avalanche,  "the  thunderbolt 
of  snow,"  and  the  glaciers,  those  icy  Niagaras  so  beautiful 
and  grand.  Here  they  are  wanting.  The  monarch  of 
the  Andes  sits  motionless  in  calm  serenity  and  unbroken 
silence.  The  silence  is  absolute  and  actually  oppressive. 
The  road  from  Guayaquil  to  Quito  crosses  Chimborazo  at 
the  elevation  of  fourteen  thousand  feet.  Save  the  rush  of 
the  trade  wind  in  the  afternoon,  as  it  sweeps  over  the 
Andes,  not  a  sound  is  audible;  not  the  hum  of  an  insect, 
nor  the  chirp  of  a  bird,  nor  the  roar  of  the  puma,  nor  the 
music  of  running  waters.  Mid-ocean  is  never  so  silent. 
You  can  almost  hear  the  globe  turning  on  its  axis.  There 
was  a  time  when  the  monarch  deigned  to  speak,  and  spoke 
with  a  voice  of  thunder,  for  the  lava  on  its  sides  is  an  evi- 
dence of  volcanic  activity.  But  ever  since  the  morning 
stars  sang  together  over  man's  creation  Chimbo  has  sat  in 
sullen  silence,  satisfied  to  look  "  from  his  throne  of  clouds 
o'er  half  the  world."  There  is  something  very  suggestive 
in  this  silence  of  Chimborazo.     It  was  once  full  of  noise 


480  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Orton 

and  fury ;  it  is  now  a  completed  mountain,  and  thunders  no 
more.  How  silent  was  Jesus,  a  completed  character  I  The 
reason  that  we  are  so  noisy  is  that  we  are  so  full  of  wants ; 
we  are  unfinished  characters.  Had  we  perfect  fulness  of 
all  things,  the  beatitude  of  being  without  a  want,  we 
should  lapse  into  the  eternal  silence  of  God. 

Chimborazo  is  a  leader  of  a  long  train  of  ambitious 
crags  and  peaks ;  but  as  he  who  comes  after  the  king  must 
not  expect  to  be  noticed,  we  will  only  take  a  glimpse  of 
these  lesser  lights  as  we  pass  up  the  Western  Cordillera, 
and  then  down  the  Eastern. 

The  first  after  leaving  the  monarch  is  Caraguairazo. 
The  Indians  call  it  "  the  wife  of  Chimborazo."  They  are 
separated  only  by  a  very  narrow  valley.  One  hundred  and 
seventy  years  ago  the  top  of  this  mountain  fell  in,  and 
torrents  of  mud  flowed  out  containing  multitudes  of  fishes. 
It  is  now  over  seventeen  thousand  feet  high,  and  is  one  of 
the  most  Alpine  of  the  Quitonian  volcanoes,  having  sharp 
pinnacles  instead  of  the  smooth  trachytic  domes — usually 
double  domes — so  characteristic  of  the  Andean  summits. 
And  now  we  pass  in  rapid  succession  numerous  picturesque 
mountains,  some  of  them  extinct  volcanoes,  as  Iliniza, 
presenting  two  pyramidal  peaks,  the  highest  seventeen 
thousand  feet  above  the  sea,  and  Corazon,  so  named  from 
its  heart-shaped  summit,  till  we  reach  Pichincha,  whose 
smoking  crater  is  only  five  miles  distant  in  a  straight  line 
from  the  city  of  Quito,  or  eleven  by  the  travelled  route. 

The  crown  of  this  mountain  presents  three  groups  of  rocky 
peaks.  The  most  westerly  one  is  called  Pucu-Pichincha, 
and  alone  manifests  activity.  To  the  northeast  of  Eucu  is 
Guagua-Picbincha,  a  ruined  flue  of  the  same  fiery  furnace ; 
and  between  the  two  is  Cundur-Guachana.  Pichincha  is  the 
only  volcano  in  Eucador  which  has  not  a  true  cone  crater. 
Some  violent  eruption  beyond  the  reach  of  history  or  trad i- 


Orton]  THE  MONARCHS  OF  THE  ANDES.  481 

tion  has  formed  an  enormous  funnel-shaped  basin  two  thou- 
sand five  hundred  feet  deep,  fifteen  hundred  in  diameter  at 
the  bottom,  and  expanding  upward  to  a  width  of  three- 
fourths  of  a  mile.  It  is  the  deepest  crater  on  the  globe.  That 
of  Kilauea  is  six  hundred  feet ;  Orizaba,  five  hundred ;  Etna, 
three  hundred  ;  Heela,  one  hundred.  Vesuvius  is  a  portable 
furnace  in  comparison.  The  abyss  is  girt  with  a  ragged  wall 
of  dark  trachyte,  which  rises  on  the  inside  at  various  angles 
between  forty-five  degrees  and  perpendicularity.  As  we 
know  of  but  one  American  besides  the  members  of  our  ex- 
pedition (Mr.  Farrand,  a  photographer)  who  has  succeeded 
in  entering  the  crater  of  this  interesting  volcano,  we  will 
give  a  brief  sketch  of  our  visit. 

Leaving  Quito  in  the  afternoon  by  the  old  arched  gate- 
way at  the  foot  of  Panecillo,  and  crossing  a  spur  of  the 
mountain,  we  stopped  for  the  night  at  the  Jesuit  hacienda, 
situated  in  the  beautiful  valley  of  Lloa,  but  nearly  ruined 
by  the  earthquake  of  1859.  On  the  damp  walls  of  this 
monaster}*,  perched  ten  thousand  two  hundred  and  sixty- 
eight  above  the  ocean,  wc  found  several  old  paintings, 
among  them  a  copy  of  the  Visitation  by  Iiubens.  The 
sunset  views  in  this  heart  of  the  Andes  were  surpassingly 
beautiful.  Mounting  our  horses  at  break  of  day,  and 
taking  an  Indian  guide,  we  ascended  rapidly  by  a  narrow 
and  difficult  path  through  the  forest  that  belts  the  vol- 
cano up  to  the  height  of  twelve  thousand  feet,  emerging 
gradually  into  a  thicket  of  stunted  bushes,  and  then  entered 
the  dreary  paramo.  Splendid  was  the  view  of  the  Eastern 
Cordillera.  At  least  six  dazzling  white  volcanoes  were  in 
sight  just  across  the  valley  of  Quito,  among  them  table- 
topped  Cayambi,  majestic  Antisana,  and  princely  Cotopaxi, 
whose  tapering  summit  is  a  mile  above  the  clouds.  Toiling 
upward  we  reached  the  base  of  the  cone  where  vegetation 
ceased  entirely;  and  tying  our  horses  to  some  huge  rocks 
i.— v      ff  41 


482  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Orton 

that  had  fallen  from  the  mural  cliff  above,  we  started  off 
on  hands  and  feet  for  the  crater.  The  cone  is  deeply 
covered  with  sand  and  cinders  for  about  two  hundred  feet, 
and  the  sides  are  inclined  at  an  angle  of  about  thirty-five 
degrees.  At  ten  o'clock  we  reached  the  brim  of  the  crater, 
and  the  great  gulf  buret  suddenly  into  view. 

We  can  never  forget  the  impression  made  upon  us  by  the 
sight.  We  speak  of  many  things  here  below  as  awful,  but 
that  word  has  its  full  meaning  when  carried  to  the  top  of 
Pichincha.  There  you  see  a  frightful  opening  in  the  earth's 
crust  nearly  a  mile  in  width  and  half  a  mile  deep,  and 
from  the  dark  abyss  comes  rolling  up  a  cloud  of  sulphurous 
vapors.  Monte  Somma  in  the  time  of  Strabo  was  a  minia- 
ture ;  but  this  crater  is  on  the  top  of  a  mountain  four  times 
the  height  of  the  Italian  volcano.  Imagination  finds  it 
difficult  to  conceive  a  spectacle  of  more  fearful  grandeur 
or  such  solemn  magnificence.  It  well  accords  with  Milton's 
picture  of  the  bottomless  pit.  The  united  effect  of  the 
silence  and  solitude  of  the  place,  the  great  depth  of  the 
cavity,  the  dark  precipitous  sides,  and  the  column  of  smoke 
standing  over  an  unseen  crevice,  was  to  us  more  impressive 
than  thundering  Cotopaxi  or  fiery  Vesuvius.  Humboldt, 
after  standing  on  this  same  brink,  exclaimed,  "  I  have  never 
beheld  a  grander  or  more  remarkable  picture  than  that  pre- 
sented by  this  volcano ;"  and  La  Condamine  compared  to 
it  "the  Chaos  of  the  poets." 

Below  us  are  the  smouldering  fires  which  may  any 
moment  spring  forth  into  a  conflagration ;  around  us  are 
black,  ragged  cliffs, — fit  boundary  for  this  gate-way  to  the 
infernal  regions.  They  look  as  if  they  had  just  been 
dragged  up  from  the  central  furnace  of  the  earth.  Life 
seems  to  have  fled  in  terror  from  the  vicinity  ;  even  lichens, 
the  children  of  the  bare  rocks,  refuse  to  clothe  the  scathed 
and  beetling  crags.     For  some  moments  made  mute  by  the 


Orton]  THE  MONARCHS  OF  THE  ANDES.  483 

dreadful  sight,  we  stood  like  statues  on  the  rim  of  the  mighty 
caldron,  with  our  eyes  riveted  on  the  abyss  below,  lost  in 
contemplating  that  which  cannot  be  described.  The  pano- 
rama from  this  lofty  summit  is  more  pleasing,  but  equally 
sublime.  Towards  the  rising  sun  is  the  long  range  of  the 
Eastern  Cordillera,  hiding  from  our  view  the  great  valley 
of  the  Amazon.  To  right  and  left  are  the  peaks  of  an- 
other procession  of  august  mountains  from  Cotocachi  to 
Chimborazo.  We  are  surrounded  by  tbe  great  patriarchs 
of  the  Andes,  and  their  speaker,  Cotopaxi,  ever  and  anon 
sends  his  muttering  voice  over  the  land. 

The  view  westward  is  like  looking  down  from  a  balloon. 
Those  parallel  ridges  of  the  mountain  chain,  dropping  one 
behind  the  other,  are  the  gigantic  staircase  by  which  the 
ice-crowned  Chimborazo  steps  down  to  the  sea.  A  white 
sea  of  clouds  covers  the  peaceful  Pacific  and  the  lower  parts 
of  the  coast.  But  the  vapory  ocean,  curling  into  the 
ravines,  beautifully  represents  little  coves  and  bays,  leaving 
islands  and  promontories  like  a  true  ocean  on  a  broken 
shore.  We  seem  raised  above  the  earth,  which  lies  like  an 
opened  map  below  us ;  we  can  look  down  on  the  upper  sur- 
face of  the  clouds,  and,  were  it  night,  down  too  upon  the 
lightnings.  .  .  . 

The  first  to  reach  the  brink  of  the  crater  were  the  French 
Academicians  in  1742.  Sixty  years  after  Humboldt  stood 
on  the  summit.  But  it  was  not  until  1844  that  any  one 
dared  to  enter  the  crater.  This  was  accomplished  by 
Garcia  Moreno,  now  President  of  Ecuador,  and  Sebastian 
Wisse,  a  French  engineer.  Humboldt  pronounced  the  bot- 
tom of  the  crater  "inaccessible  from  its  great  depth  and 
precipitous  descent."  We  found  it  accessible,  but  exceed- 
ingly perilous.  The  moment  we  prepared  to  descend  our 
guide  ran  awaj\  We  went  on  without  him,  but  when  half- 
way down  were  stopped  by  a  precipice. 


484  HALF- HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Orton 

On  the  22d  of  October,  1867,  we  returned  to  Pichinoha 
with  another  guide  and  entered  the  crater  by  a  different 
route.  Manuel,  our  Indian,  led  us  to  the  south  side,  and 
over  the  brink  we  went.  Wo  were  not  long  in  realizing 
the  danger  of  the  undertaking.  Here  the  snow  concealed 
an  ugly  fissure  or  covered  a  treacherous  rock  (for  nearly 
all  the  rocks  are  crumbling),  there  we  must  cross  a  mass 
of  loose  sand  moving  like  a  glacier  down  the  almost  ver- 
tical side  of  the  crater ;  and  on  every  hand  rocks  were 
giving  way,  and,  gathering  momentum  at  each  revolution, 
went  thundering  down,  leaping  over  precipices  and  jostling 
other  rocks,  which  joined  in  the  race,  till  they  all  struck 
the  bottom  with  a  deep  rumbling  sound,  shivered  like  so 
many  bomb-shells  into  a  thousand  pieces,  and  telling  us 
what  would  be  our  fate  if  we  made  a  single  misstep.  We 
followed  our  Indian  in  single  file,  keeping  close  together, 
that  the  stones  set  free  by  those  in  the  rear  might  not  dash 
those  below  from  their  feet ;  feeling  our  way  with  the  greatest 
caution,  clinging  with  our  hands  to  the  snow,  sand,  rocks, 
tufts  of  grass,  or  anything  that  would  hold  for  a  moment; 
now  leaping  over  a  chasm,  now  letting  ourselves  down  from 
rock  to  rock  ;  at  times  paralyzed  with  fear,  and  alwaj-s  with 
death  staring  us  in  the  face ;  thus  we  scrambled  for  two 
hours  and  a  half  till  we  reached  the  bottom  of  the  crater. 

Here  we  found  a  deeply  furrowed  plain  strewn  with 
ragged  rocks,  and  containing  a  few  patches  of  vegetation, 
with  half  a  dozen  species  of  flowers.  In  the  centre  is  an 
irregular  heap  of  stones,  two  hundred  and  sixty  feet  high 
by  eight  hundred  in  diameter.  This  is  the  cone  of  eruption, 
— its  sides  and  summit  covered  with  an  imposing  group  of 
vents,  seventy  in  number,  all  lined  with  sulphur  and  ex- 
haling steam,  black  smoke,  and  sulphurous  gas.  The  tem- 
perature of  the  vapor  just  within  the  fumarole  is  184°, 
water  boiling  beside  it  at  189°. 


Squier]        INCA   HIGH-ROADS  AND  BRIDGES.  485 

The  central  vent  or  chimney  gives  forth  a  sound  like 
the  violent  bubbling  of  boiling  water.  As  we  sat  on  this 
fiery  mount  surrounded  by  a  circular  rampart  of  rocks, 
and  looked  up  at  the  immense  towers  of  dark  dolerite 
which  ran  up  almost  vertically  to  the  height  of  twenty-five 
hundred  feet  above  us,  musing  over  the  tremendous  force 
which  fashioned  this  awful  amphitheatre, — spacious  enough 
for  all  the  gods  of  Tartarus  to  hold  high  carnival, — the 
clouds  which  hung  in  the  thin  air  around  the  crest  of  the 
crater  pealed  forth  thunder  after  thunder,  which,  rever- 
berating from  precipice  to  precipice,  were  answered  by  the 
crash  of  rocks  let  loose  by  the  storm,  till  the  whole  moun- 
tain seemed  to  tremble  like  a  leaf.  Such  acoustics,  mingled 
with  the  flash  of  lightning  and  the  smell  of  brimstone, 
made  us  believe  that  we  had  fairly  got  into  the  realm  of 
Pluto.  It  is  the  spot  where  Dante's  "  Inferno"  ought  to  be 
read. 


INCA  HIGH-ROADS  AND  BRIDGES. 

E.  GEORGE  SQUIER. 

[Squier's  "  Peru :  Incidents  of  Travel  and  Exploration  in  the  Land 
of  the  Incas"  is  the  source  of  our  present  selection.  The  author, 
Ephraim  George  Squier,  was  born  in  Albany  County,  New  York,  in 
1821.  He  studied  the  aboriginal  monuments  of  New  York,  and  after- 
wards travelled  and  made  extensive  archaeological  researches  in  Central 
America.  He  was  appointed  United  States  Commissioner  to  Peru  in 
1863,  and  made  important  studies  of  the  ancient  ruins  of  that  country. 
We  give  his  interesting  account  of  the  perilous  crossing  of  the  Apu- 
rimac] 

The  great  and  elaborate  highways,  or  public  roads, 
which  the  chroniclers  and  the  historians,  following  their 

41* 


486  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Sqitier 

authorit}',  tell  us  were  constructed  by  the  Incas  through- 
out  their  vast   empire,   all   radiating   north,  east,   south, 
and  west  from  the  imperial  city  of  Cuzco,  if  they  existed 
at  all  in  Central  and  Southern   Peru,  have  disappeared, 
leaving  here  and  there  only  short  sections  or  fragments, 
hardly  justifying  the  extravagant   praise  that   has   been 
bestowed  on  them.      The   modern   mule-paths,  miscalled 
roads,  must  necessarily  follow  nearly,  if  not  exactly,  the 
routes  of  the  Indians  under  the  Empire.     The  physical 
conformation   of   the   country   is   such   that   communica- 
tion between  puna  and  puna,  and  from  valley  to  valley, 
must  always  be  made  by  the  same  passes.    All  these  passes 
over   the  mountains  are  marked  by  huge  piles  of  stone 
raised,  like  the  cairns  of  Scotland  and  Wales,  by  the  con- 
tribution of  a  single  stone  from  each  traveller  as  an  offer- 
ing to  the  spirits  of  the  mountains,  and  as  an  invocation 
for  their  aid  in  sustaining  the  fatigues  of  travel.     These 
great  stone  heaps  still  exist,  and  will  remain  to  the  end  of 
time,  monuments  marking  forever  the  routes  of  travel  in 
the  days  of  the  Incas. 

We  know,  therefore,  from  these  rude  monuments  very 
nearly  what  were  the  ancient  lines  of  communication. 
These  are  also  further  indicated  by  remains  of  the  tambos, 
which  occur  at  intervals  all  through  the  country,  and 
oftenest  in  places  remote  from  supplies,  in  cold  and  desert 
districts,  where  the  traveller  stands  most  in  need  of  food 
and  shelter. 

The  modern  voyager  would  consider  himself  supremely 
fortunate  were  he  to  find  one  in  a  hundred  of  these  tambos, 
now  in  existence ;  for  travelling  in  Peru  is  infinitely  more 
difficult  and  dangerous  than  it  was  in  the  days  of  the  Incas: 
more  difficult,  because  the  facilities  are  less ;  more  danger- 
ous, because  the  laws  are  more  lax,  and  the  moral  standard 
of  the  people  lower.     The  influence  of  Spain  in  Peru  has 


Squier]         INC  A   HIGH-ROADS  AND   BRIDGES.  487 

been  every  way  deleterious ;  the  civilization  of  the  country 
was  far  higher  before  the  Conquest  than  now. 

As  I  have  said,  few  traces  of  the  Inca  roads,  such  as  are 
described  by  the  earl)'  writers,  and  such  as  Humboldt  saw 
in  Northern  Peru,  are  now  to  be  found  in  the  southern 
part  of  that  country ;  and  as  the  modern  pathways  must 
follow  the  ancient  lines,  I  infer  that  they  never  existed 
here,  for  there  is  no  reason  why  they  should  have  suffered 
more  from  time  and  the  elements  in  one  part  of  the  country 
than  in  another. 

Between  Cuzco  and  the  sweet  valley  of  Yucay  there  are 
numerous  traces  of  an  ancient  road,  some  sections  of  which 
are  perfect.  These  sections  coincide  in  character  with  the 
long  reaches  in  the  direction  of  Quito.  They  consist  of  a 
pathway  from  ten  to  twelve  feet  wide,  raised  slightly  in 
the  centre,  paved  with  stones,  and  the  edges  defined  by 
larger  stones  sunk  firmly  in  the  ground.  Where  this  road 
descends  from  the  elevated  puna — a  sheer  descent  of  al- 
most four  thousand  feet  into  the  valley  of  Yucay — it  zig- 
zags on  a  narrow  shelf  cut  in  the  face  of  the  declivity,  and 
supported  here  and  there,  where  foothold  could  not  other- 
wise be  obtained,  by  high  retaining-walls  of  cut  stone, 
looking  as  perfect  and  firm  as  when  first  built  centuries 
ago. 

High  mountain-ranges  and  broad  and  frigid  deserts, 
swept  by  fierce,  cold  winds,  are  not  the  sole  obstacles  to 
intercommunication  in  the  Altos  of  Peru,  and  among  those 
snow-crowned  monarchs  of  the  Andes  and  Cordilleras. 
There  are  deep  valleys,  gorges,  and  ravines  among  the 
mountains,  or  cut  deep  in  the  plains  that  alternate  with 
them,  in  which  flow  swelling  rivers  or  rapid  torrents,  fed 
by  the  melting  snows  in  the  dry  season,  and  swollen  by  the 
rains  in  the  wet  season.  They  are  often  unfordable,  but 
still  they  must  somehow  be  passed  by  the  traveller.     A 


488  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Squier 

few  bridges  of  stone  were  constructed  by  the  Spaniards, 
some  after  the  Conquest,  and  a  few  others  have  been 
erected  by  their  descendants ;  but,  as  a  rule,  the  rivers  and 
mountain-torrents  are  passed  to-day  by  the  aid  of  devices 
the  same  as  were  resorted  to  by  the  Incas,  and  at  points 
which  they  selected. 

Had  the  principle  of  the  arch  been  well  understood  by 
the  ancient  inhabitants,  who  have  left  some  of  the  finest 
stone-cutting  and  masonry  to  be  found  in  the  world,  there 
is  no  doubt  the  interior  of  Peru  would  have  abounded  in 
bridges  rivalling  those  of  Eome  in  extent  and  beauty.  As 
it  was,  occupying  a  country  destitute  of  timber,  they  re- 
sorted to  suspension-bridges,  no  doubt  precisely  like  those 
now  constructed  bv  their  descendants  and  successors, — 
bridges  formed  of  cables  of  braided  withes,  stretched  from 
bank  to  bank,  and  called  puentes  de  mimbres  (bridges  of 
withes).  Where  the  banks  are  high,  or  where  the  streams 
are  compressed  between  steep  or  precipitous  rocks,  these 
cables  are  anchored  to  piers  of  stone.  In  other  places  they 
are  approached  by  inclined  causeways,  raised  to  give  them 
the  necessary  elevation  above  the  water.  Three  or  four 
cables  form  the  floor  and  the  principal  support  of  the 
bridge,  over  which  small  sticks,  sometimes  only  sections 
of  cane  or  bamboo,  are  laid  transversely,  and  fastened  to 
the  cables  by  vines,  cords,  or  thongs  of  raw  hide.  Two 
smaller  cables  are  sometimes  stretched  on  each  side  as  a 
guard  or  hand-rail.  Over  these  frail  and  swaying  struc- 
tures pass  men  and  animals,  the  latter  frequently  with  their 
load  on  their  backs. 

Each  bridge  is  usually  kept  up  by  the  municipality  of 
the  nearest  village ;  and  as  it  requires  renewal  every  two 
or  three  years,  the  Indians  are  obliged  at  stated  periods  to 
bring  to  the  spot  a  certain  number  of  withes  of  peculiar 
kinds  of  tough  wood,  generally  of  that  variety  called  ioke, 


Squier]         INCA   HIGH-ROADS  AND  BRIDGES.  489 

which  are  braided  by  experts,  and  then  stretched  across 
the  stream  or  river  by  the  united  exertions  of  the  inhab- 
itants. Some  of  the  larger  and  most  important  structures 
of  this  kind  are  kept  up  by  the  government,  and  all  pas- 
sengers and  merchandise  pay  a  fixed  toll.  Such  is  the  case 
with  the  great  bridge  over  the  Apurimac,  on  the  main 
road  from  the  ancient  Guamanga  (now  Ayacucho)  to 
Cuzco. 

The  Apurimac  is  one  of  the  head-waters  of  the  Amazon, 
a  large  and  rapid  stream,  flowing  in  a  deep  valley,  or  rather 
gigantic  ravine,  shut  in  by  high  and  precipitous  mountains. 
Throughout  its  length  it  is  crossed  at  only  a  single  point, 
between  two  enormous  cliffs,  which  rise  dizzily  on  both 
sides,  and  from  the  summits  of  which  the  traveller  looks 
down  into  a  dark  gulf.  At  the  bottom  gleams  a  white  line 
of  water,  whence  struggles  up  a  dull  but  heavy  roar, 
giving  to  the  river  its  name,  Apurimac  signifying,  in  the 
Quichua  tongue,  "the  great  speaker."  From  above,  the 
bridge,  looking  like  a  mere  thread,  is  reached  by  a  path 
which  on  one  side  traces  a  thin,  white  line  on  the  face  of 
the  mountain,  and  down  which  the  boldest  traveller  may 
hesitate  to  venture.  This  path,  on  the  other  side,  at  once 
disappears  from  a  rocky  shelf,  where  there  is  just  room 
enough  to  hold  the  hut  of  the  bridge-keeper,  and  then  runs 
through  a  dark  tunnel  cut  in  the  rock,  from  which  it 
emerges  to  trace  its  line  of  many  a  steep  and  weary  zigzag 
of  the  face  of  the  mountain.  It  is  usual  for  the  traveller 
to  time  his  day's  journey  so  as  to  reach  this  bridge  in  the 
morning,  before  the  strong  wind  sets  in;  for  during  the 
greater  part  of  the  day  it  sweeps  up  the  canon  of  the 
Apurimac  with  great  force,  and  then  the  bridge  sways 
like  a  gigantic  hammock,  and  crossing  is  next  to  impos- 
sible. 

It  was  a  memorable  incident  in  my  travelling  experi- 


490  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Squikr 

ences,  the  crossing  of  this  great  swinging  bridge  of  the 
Apurimac.  I  shall  never  forget  it,  even  if  it  were  not  as- 
sociated with  a  circumstance  which,  for  the  time,  gave  me 
much  uneasiness  and  pain.  The  fame  of  the  bridge  over 
the  Apurimac  is  coextensive  with  Peru,  and  every  one  we 
met  who  had  crossed  it  was  full  of  frightful  reminiscences 
of  his  passage :  how  the  frail  structure  swayed  at  a  dizzy 
height  between  gigantic  cliffs  over  a  dark  abyss,  filled  with 
the  deep,  hoarse  roar  of  the  river,  and  how  his  eyes  grew 
dim,  his  heart  grew  faint,  and  his  feet  unsteady  as  he 
struggled  across  it,  not  dariug  to  cast  a  look  on  either 
hand. 

Our  road  to  the  bridge  was  circuitous  and  precipitous, 
leading  down  the  steeper  side  of  the  ridge  of  La  Banca, 
where  it  seemed  hardly  possible  for  a  goat  to  find  foothold. 
It  was  a  succession  of  abrupt  zigzags,  here  and  there  inter- 
rupted by  a  stretch  of  horizontal  pathway.     To  see  our 
cavalcade  it  was  necessary  to  look  up  or  down,  not  beforo 
or  behind.     It  was  like  descending  the  coils  of  a  flattened 
corkscrew.     In  places  the  rocks  encroached  on  the  trail  so 
that  it  was  necessary  to  crouch  low  on  the  saddle-bow  to 
pass  beneath  them,  or  else  throw  the  weight  of  the  body 
on  the  stirrup  overhanging  the  declivity  of  the  mountain, 
to  avoid  a  collision.     The  most  dangerous  parts,  however, 
were  where  land-slips  had  occurred,  and  where  it  was  im- 
possible to  construct  a  pathway  not  liable  at  any  moment 
to  glide  away  beneath  the  feet  of  our  animals.     The  gorge 
narrowed  as  we  descended,  until  it  was  literally  shut  in  by 
precipices  of  stratified    rock   strangely  contorted;   while 
huge  masses  of  stone,  rent  and  splintered  as  from  some 
terrible  convulsion  of  nature,  rose  sheer  before  us,  appa- 
rently preventing  all  exit  from  the  sunless  and  threatening 
ravine,  at  the  bottom  of  which  a  considerable  stream  strug- 
gled, with  a  hoarse  roar,  among  the  black  boulders. 


Squier]        INCA  HIGH-ROADS  AND  BRIDGES.  491 

There  was  foothold  for  neither  tree  nor  shrub,  and  our 
mules  picked  their  way  warily,  with  head  and  ears  pointed 
downward,  among  the  broken  and  angular  masses.  The 
occasional  shouts  of  the  arrieros  sounded  here  sharp  and 
percussive,  and  seemed  to  smite  themselves  to  death 
against  the  adamantine  walls.  There  was  no  room  for 
echo.  Finally  the  ravine  became  so  narrowed  between  the 
precipitous  mountain-sides  as  barely  to  afford  room  for  the 
stream  and  our  scant  part}*.  Here  a  roar,  deeper,  stronger, 
and  sterner  than  that  of  the  stream  which  we  had  followed, 
reached  our  ears,  and  we  knew  it  was  the  voice  of  the 
"  Great  Speaker."  A  little  farther  on  we  came  in  view  of 
the  river  and  two  or  three  low  huts  built  on  the  circum- 
scribed space  where  the  two  streams  came  close  together. 
Our  muleteers  were  already  busy  in  unloading  the  baggage, 
preparatory  to  its  being  carried  across  the  bridge  on  the 
cicatrized  backs  of  the  occupants  of  the  huts. 

To  the  left  of  the  huts,  swinging  high  in  a  graceful 
curve,  between  the  precipices  on  either  side,  looking  won- 
derfully frail  and  gossamer-like,  was  the  famed  bridge  of 
the  Apurimac.  A  steep,  narrow  path,  following  for  some 
distance  a  natural  shelf,  formed  by  the  stratification  of  the 
rock,  and  for  the  rest  of  the  way  hewn  in  its  face,  led  up, 
for  a  hundred  feet,  to  a  little  platform,  also  cut  in  the  rock, 
where  were  fastened  the  cables  supporting  the  bridge.  On 
the  opposite  bank  was  another  and  rather  larger  platform, 
partly  roofed  by  the  rock,  where  was  the  windlass  for 
making  the  cables  taut,  and  where,  perched  like  goats  on 
some  mountain-shelf,  lived  the  custodians  of  the  bridge. 
The  path  could  barely  be  discovered  turning  sharp  around 
a  rocky  projection  to  the  left  of  this  perch,  then  reappear- 
ing high  above  it,  and  then,  after  many  a  zigzag,  losing 
itself  in  the  dark  mouth  of  a  tunnel. 

My  companions  and  myself  lost  no  time  in  extracting 


492  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Squier 

the  measuring  tapes  and  sounding  lines  from  our  alforjas, 
and  hurriedly  scrambled  up  the  rocky  pathway  to  the 
bridge.  It  was  in  bad  condition.  The  cables  had  slacked 
so  that  the  centre  of  the  bridge  hung  from  twelve  to 
fifteen  feet  lower  than  its  ends,  and,  then,  the  cables  had 
not  stretched  evenly,  so  that  one  side  was  considerably 
lower  than  the  other.  The  cables  on  either  hand,  intended 
to  answer  the  double  purpose  of  stays  and  parapets,  had 
not  sunk  with  the  bridge,  and  were  so  high  up  that  they 
could  not  be  reached  without  difficulty;  and  many  of  the 
lines  dropping  from  them  to  the  floor,  originally  placed 
widely  apart,  had  been  broken,  so  that  practically  they 
were  useful  neither  for  security  nor  for  inspiring  con- 
fidence. 

Travelling  in  the  Andes  soon  cures  one  of  any  nervous- 
ness about  heights  and  depths,  and  is  a  specific  against 
dizziness.  Nevertheless,  we  all  gave  a  rather  apprehensive 
glance  at  the  frail  structure  before  us,  but  we  had  no 
difficulty  in  crossing  and  recrossing — as  we  did  several 
times — except  on  approaching  the  ends,  to  which  our 
weight  transferred  the  sag  of  the  cables  and  made  the  last 
few  yards  rather  steep.  A  stiff  breeze  swept  up  the 
cation  of  the  river,  and  caused  a  vibration  of  the  bridge 
from  side  to  side  of  at  least  six  feet.  The  motion,  however, 
inspired  no  sense  of  danger. 

We  carefully  measured  the  length  and  altitude  of  the 
bridge,  and  found  it  to  be  from  fastening  to  fastening  one 
hundred  and  forty-eight  feet  long,  and  at  its  lowest  part 
one  hundred  and  eighteen  feet  above  the  river.  Mr.  Mark- 
ham,  who  crossed  it  in  1855,  estimated  the  length  at  ninety 
feet  and  the  height  at  three  hundred  feet.  Lieutenant 
Gibbon,  who  crossed  it  in  1857,  estimated  the  length  at 
three  hundred  and  twenty-four  feet  and  the  height  one 
hundred  and  fifty  feet.     Our  measurements,  however,  are 


Squier]         INCA   HIGH-ROADS  AND  BRIDGES.  493 

exact.  The  height  may  be  increased  perhaps  ten  feet 
when  the  cables  are  made  taut.  They  are  five  in  number, 
twisted  from  the  fibres  of  the  cabuya,  or  maguey  plant, 
and  are  about  four  inches  thick.  The  floor  is  of  small 
sticks  and  canes,  fastened  transversely  with  raw-hide 
strings.  The  Indians  coming  from  Andahuaylas  and  other 
districts  where  the  cabuya  grows,  generally  bring  a  quan- 
tity of  leaves  with  them  werewith  to  pay  their  toll.  These 
are  prepared  and  made  into  rope  by  the  custodians  of  the 
bridge,  who  must  be  glad  of  some  occupation  in  their  lone 
and  lofty  eyrie. 

Our  baggage  was  carried  over  the  bridge,  and  the 
animals  were  then  led  across  one  by  one,  loaded  and 
started  up  the  mountain.  The  space  is  too  limited  to 
receive  more  than  two  loaded  mules  at  a  time,  and  instances 
are  known  of  their  having  been  toppled  over  the  precipice 
from  overcrowding.  "We  led  our  horses  over  without 
difficulty  except  in  getting  them  on  the  bridge.  But  once 
fairly  on  the  swaying  structure  they  were  as  composed 
as  if  moving  on  the  solid  ground.  Perhaps  even  to  the 
lowest  animal  intelligence  it  must  be  apparent  that  the 
centre  of  the  bridge  of  the  Apurimac  is  not  the  place  for 
antics,  equine  or  asinine. 

Mounted  once  more,  we  commenced  our  steep  and  diffi- 
cult ascent.  At  one  place  the  sheer  precipice  presented 
itself  on  one  side,  and  a  vertical  wall  on  the  other ;  next  it 
was  a  scramble  up  a  ladder  of  stairs,  partly  cut  in  the  rock 
and  partly  built  up  with  stones  against  it;  then  a  sudden 
turn,  with  a  parapet  built  around  it  in  a  semicircle,  to  pre- 
vent descending  animals  from  being  carried  into  the  abyss 
below  by  their  own  momentum.  Our  cargo-mules  toiled 
up  painfully  above  us,  stopping  every  few  steps  to  breathe, 
while  the  muleteers  braced  themselves  against  their 
haunches  to  afford  them  some  support  and  rest. 

42 


494  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Squieb 

We  had  scarcely  reached  half-way  to  the  mouth  of  the 
tunnel,  which  enters  the  mountain  at  the  base  of  a  vast 
vertical  mass  of  rock,  when  our  attention  was  arrested  by 
the  shouts  of  our  men  and  a  commotion  among  the  ani- 
mals abovo  us.  It  was  occasioned  by  a  descending  train 
of  loaded  mules,  just  plunging  out  of  the  black  throat  of 
the  tunnel.  The  mountain  mule  always  seeks  to  take  the 
wall  of  the  animal  it  meets,  being  perfectly  aware  of  the 
danger  of  trying  to  pass  on  the  outer  side  of  the  pathway ; 
and  it  sometimes  happens  that  neither  will  give  way  under 
any  amount  of  persuasion  or  blows.  The  muleteers  have 
to  unload  the  animals,  which  may  then  be  got  past  each 
other.  A  similar  difficulty  occurred  now,  and  the  con- 
ductor of  the  advancing  train  hurried  down  to  warn  us  to 
dismount  and  seek  the  widest  part  of  the  path,  or  some 
nook  by  its  side,  and  there  await  the  passage  of  his  mules. 
He  had  hardly  done  speaking  when  we  saw  one  of  our  own 
mules,  loaded  with  our  trunks,  come  plunging  down  the 
narrow  zigzagging  way,  evidently  in  fright,  followed  wildly 
by  its  driver.  Just  before  reaching  the  place  where  we 
stood  the  animal  fell,  going  literally  heels  over  head,  and 
would  have  been  carried  over  the  little  platform  of  rock 
into  the  river  had  not  the  master  of  tho  descending  train 
caught  the  falling  mule  by  its  foreleg,  and  in  this  way 
saved  it  from  tumbling  over.  He  at  once  placed  his  whole 
weight  on  its  ears,  thus  prevented  it  from  struggling,  and 
thus  obviating  its  destruction,  while  we  detached  its  cargo. 
A  foot  farther,  and  the  mule  would  inevitably  have  been 
lost. 

It  was  with  no  little  satisfaction  that  we  saw  the  last  mule 
of  the  train  pass  us,  and  resumed  our  ascent.  We  found  the 
tunnel  a  roomy  one,  two  or  three  hundred  )*ards  in  length, 
with  openings  from  the  faco  of  the  precipice  for  the  admis- 
sion of  light  and   air.      Through  these  we  caught  brief 


Hutchinson]    THE   GAUCHO  AND  HIS  HORSE.  495 

glimpses  of  the  grand  and  solemn  mountains  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  canon,  and  through  them  came  in  also, 
hoarse  and  sullen,  the  deep  voice  of  the  river.  I  am  un- 
certain as  to  how  far  this  tunnel  may  be  ascribed  to  the 
Incas,  but  feel  sure  that  their  bridge  across  the  Apurimac 
was  at  precisely  the  same  point  with  the  present  one.  We 
were  fully  two  hours  in  ascending  the  steeps,  and  reached 
the  high  mountain-circled  plain  in  which  stands  the 
straggling  town  of  Curahuasi,  a  well-watered  village  buried 
among  the  trees  and  shrubbery. 


THE  GAUCHO  AND  HIS  HORSE. 

THOMAS   J.  HUTCHINSON. 

[Among  the  skilled  horsemen  of  the  earth  the  gaucho  of  the  plains 
of  Argentina  bears  pre-eminence.  The  cow-boy  of  our  Western  plains 
somewhat  nearly  approaches  him,  but  the  cow-boy  is  only  a  passing  ac- 
cident, not  an  institution,  like  the  gaucho,  who  will  still  flourish  on 
his  native  soil  when  the  cow-boy  has  ceased  to  be.  Hutchinson's 
"Buenos  Ayres  and  Argentine  Gleanings"  gives  us  a  well-limned 
picture  of  this  interesting  individual,  to  which  we  owe  the  following 
selection.] 

I  can  hardly  consider  myself  presumptuous  in  believing 
that  few  travellers  who  have  made  an  ascent  of  the  Parana 
for  the  first  time  have  done  so  with  a  more  agreeable  im- 
pression of  its  beauty  than  I  experienced.  The  only  draw- 
back connected  with  this  pleasure  is  the  consciousness  of 
being  unable  fully  to  describe  it.  My  readers  will,  how- 
ever, be  indulgent  enough  to  give  me  credit  for  an  effort  t<> 
do  my  best. 

Our  water-way  in  the  little  steamer  "Dolircitas,"  after 
leaving  Buenos  Ayres,   was   through  one  of  the   narrow 


496  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.        [Hutchinson 

passages  that  are  the  boundaries  of  islets,  higher  up  than, 
as  well  as  parallel  with,  the  island  of  Martin  Garcia.  As 
we  steam  along  and  pass  the  estancias  of  wealthy  farmers, 
I  observe  on  the  banks  hundreds  of  cows,  large  troops 
of  horses,  and  flocks  of  sheep,  in  numbers  sufficient  to 
puzzle  even  the  calculating  Pedder.  There  are  very  few 
wild  trees  to  be  seen,  except  on  the  highlands  an  occasional 
specimen  of  the  Ombu  or  Algaroba  species.  The  resi- 
dences are  invariably  surrounded  by  groves  or  shrubberies 
of  peach-trees.  The  physical  aspect  of  the  islands  is  quite 
flat,  and  until  we  advance  a  few  hundred  miles  there  is  no 
elevation  above  a  few  feet  close  to  the  river's  bide.  Now 
and  then — as,  for  example,  when  passing  through  the  creek 
called  the  "Baradero" — I  catch  a  glimpse  of  high  land,  on 
part  of  which  there  is  a  convent  or  chapel ;  but  the  wholo 
country  is  uncultivated,  except  in  isolated  patches  near  the 
compounds  of  the  tillers. 

Flocks  of  wild  duck  and  snipe  are  seen  in  abundance ; 
wild  turkeys  likewise,  with  occasionally  a  group  of  flamin- 
goes, whose  scarlet  plumage  forms  a  strikingly  dazzling  ob- 
ject in  the  bright  sunshine.  Indeed,  birds  of  various  kinds 
are  about  us  everywhere.  Passing  through  one  of  these 
island  passages,  you  see  strewing  the  banks  on  the  mainland 
side  the  skeletons  of  cows  and  horses,  while  other  poor 
brutes  are  lying  in  the  agonies  of  death ;  for  the  mud  at 
the  extreme  edge  of  the  water  is  too  soft  to  support  them  ; 
hence,  when  they  go  down  to  drink,  they  are  swamped  in 
its  sponginess,  and  must  therefore  remain  to  die. 

Steaming  on,  we  pass  or  meet  several  small  river-craft 
engaged  in  the  coasting-trade  between  Montevideo,  Buenos 
Ayres,  and  the  towns  up  tho  river,  until  wo  land  at  an 
est;incia,  where  cows,  horses,  and  sheep  are  bred  and  nur- 
tured: the  cows  and  bullocks  chiefly  for  the  hides  and 
meat,  disposed  of  as  already  described  at  a  saladero ;  sheep 


Hutchinson]    THE  GAUCHO   AND  HIS  HORSE.  497 

for  their  wool ;  while  horses  are  reared  for  every  possible 
purpose,  and  are  turned  to  use  whether  alive  or  dead. 

Horses  dead!  Their  skins  are  tanned;  the  grease  of  the 
mare's  body  is  used  for  light,  and  for  many  oleaginous  pur- 
poses. Close  to  one  of  our  towns  is  a  rancho  or  hut  be- 
longing to  a  brick-maker,  and  there,  between  his  door  and 
the  kiln,  is  an  immense  pile — as  high  as  an  ordinary  house 
— of  dead  horses,  whose  bodies  are  to  be  used  for  burning 
the  bricks.  Mares'  tongues,  preserved,  are  sold  in  the 
market  as  luxuries ;  hoofs,  skulls,  shank,  thigh,  and  other 
bones  of  the  animal,  as  well  as  the  hair  of  the  mane  and 
tail,  are  exported  hence  to  England,  America,  and  other 
places  across  the  sea  in  large  quantities.  At  the  saladeros, 
too,  they  slaughter  mares  in  hundreds  for  their  hides  and 
grease,  the  operation  being  conducted  by  crunching  the 
animal's  skull  with  a  mallet,  after  it  has  been  brought  to 
the  [ground  by  means  of  a  lasso  thrown  round  the  feet. 
One  can  scarcely  travel  a  mile  through  the  camp  without 
seeing  a  dead  horse  somewhere. 

Horses  alive!  At  many  stations  on  the  river  they  fish 
on  horseback,  by  riding  into  a  considerable  depth  of  water 
and  throwing  a  peculiar  kind  of  net,  which  is  drawn  back 
to  the  shore  by  the  horse.  Our  letters  are  delivered  at  the 
door  by  a  rat-tat  in  regular  English  style  from  the  post- 
man, who  is  on  horseback.  The  daily  journal  is  brought  to 
us  by  a  cavalier,  who  hands  it  in  without  dismounting ;  even 
a  beggar-man  rides  up  every  Saturday  to  solicit  Una  limosna 
por  el  amor  de  Dios,  and  he  has  a  license  from  the  police  in 
the  shape  of  a  piece  of  branded  wood  suspended  round  his 
neck.  The  aristocracy  of  beggary  is  evident  in  this  fellow, 
too ;  for  on  one  occasion,  being  offered  cold  meat  and  bread 
by  my  servant,  he  rode  off,  indignantly  saying  he  wanted 
money  to  buy  cigarritos. 

Horses  making  bricks!     Ay,  incredible  as  it  ma}-  appear, 
l.—gg  42* 


498  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.       [Hutchinson 

there  are  the  very  animals  which  dragged  the  dead  bodies 
of  their  brethren  to  be  made  fuel  of  at  the  brick-kilns 
before  mentioned,  now  driven  round  and  round  in  a  circus, 
tramping  into  malleable  mud  clay  and  water  mixed  to- 
gether, and  doing  everything  in  the  brick-making  except 
the  moulding. 

Horses  threshing  corn!  Here  at  our  friend's  estancia  I 
see  another  large  circus,  styled  a  hera,  in  which  are  placed 
several  sheaves  of  wheat,  and  into  this  are  turned  fifteen 
to  twenty  horses ;  a  mounted  man  goes  in  also,  and  drives 
these  animals  with  whip  and  yell  round  the  circus  until 
all  the  corn  is  threshed  by  their  tramping. 

Horses  churning  butter!  A  novel  sort  of  thing  it  is  to  see 
a  bag  made  of  hides,  into  which  the  milk  is  put  when  it  is 
turned  sufficiently  sour ;  this  bag,  fastened  to  a  long  strip 
of  rope-hide,  is  attached  at  the  other  end  to  the  leather 
girth  which  is  round  the  horse's  body;  the  latter  is  then 
mounted  by  a  gaucho,  and  ridden  at  a  hard  pace  over  the 
camp  for  a  sufficient  length  of  time  to  secure  the  making 
of  the  butter,  by  bumping  the  milk-bag  against  the  ground. 

A  gaucho  without  his  steed  is  an  impracticability.  To 
move  his  furniture,  consisting  of  beds,  chairs,  tables,  crock- 
ery, or  hardware,  the  horse's  back  is  fitted  to  the  burden. 
Coffins  are  conveyed  to  the  burying-ground  by  being 
strapped  transversely  on  a  horse's  loins ;  and  one  would 
scarcely  be  surprised  to  hear  of  a  specimen  of  the  semi- 
centaur  under  consideration  going  or  cooking  his  dinner  on 
horseback,  more  especially  with  the  picture  before  us  of  a 
dentist  operating  on  a  poor  fellow's  grinders,  the  patient 
and  his  physician  being  both  mounted. 

No  crusader  of  olden  time  could  have  borne  himself 
more  proudly  at  the  head  of  a  gallant  regiment  bound  to 
the  Holy  Land  than  does  the  gaucho,  who  guides  a  troop 
of  twenty  to  thirty  carretas,  each  drawn  by  six  bullocks, 


Hutchinson]    THE   GAUCHO  AND  HIS  HORSE.  499 

across  the  Pampas  to  Cordova  or  Mendoza.  On  his  saddle, 
chiefly  made  of  untanned  horse-hide  and  sheep-skin,  he  sits 
with  the  consciousness  that  he  is  the  horse's  master.  In- 
deed, it  is  rarely  that  the  real  gaucho  puts  his  foot  in  a 
stirrup, — for  practical  purposes  of  riding  never, — as  it  is 
only  on  state  occasions  that  he  uses  them.  Stirrups  made 
in  this  country  are  of  a  triangular  form,  of  iron  or  silver, 
with  the  base  fabricated  after  the  fashion  of  a  filigree 
cruet-stand,  though  on  a  diminutive  scale.  At  the  museum 
in  Buenos  Ayres  I  saw  some  of  these  triangular  stirrups 
that  were  described  as  having  been  brought  from  Paraguay, 
made  from  hard  wood,  so  large,  clumsy,  and  heavy  as  to 
constitute  in  themselves  a  load  for  a  horse.  With  such 
heavy  stirrups  it  may  be  imagined  what  a  weight  the 
gaucho's  horse  has  to  bear,  when  we  consider  the  compo- 
nent parts  of  the  saddle  or  recado. 

[This  saddle  is  a  very  complex  affair,  made  up  of  layers  of  sheep- 
skin, carpet,  cow-hide,  woollen  cloth,  etc.,  too  intricate  to  be  here  de- 
scribed.    It  consists  in  all  of  twelve  separate  parts.] 

The  skill  and  endurance  of  the  gaucho  in  the  manage- 
ment of  horses  is  very  remarkable.  One  of  these  men  is 
reported  to  have  stood  on  the  transverse  bar,  which  crosses 
over  the  gate  of  the  corral,  and  dropped  down  upon  the 
back  of  a  horse,  while  the  animal,  in  company  with  sev- 
eral others,  without  bridle  or  saddle,  was  at  full  gallop  out 
of  the  enclosure.  What  made  the  feat  more  adroit  was 
the  fact  of  his  having  permitted  a  looker-on  to  select  tho 
horse  for  him  to  bestride  before  the  whole  lot  were  driven 
out.  The  endurance  of  the  gaucho  is  also  striking;  and  I 
have  been  told  of  a  man,  well  known  at  Buenos  Ayres, 
having  ridden  a  distance  of  seventy  leagues — that  is  to 
say,  two  hundred  and  ten  miles — in  one  day  to  that  city. 

Sefior  Don  Carlos  Iiurtado,  of  Buonos  Ayres,  informs  me 


500  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.       [Hutchinson 

that  the  great  gaucho  game,  in  which  the  famous  Rosas 
was  most  proficient,  was  what  is  called  el  pialar, — that  is, 
catching  horses  by  lassoing  their  feet  (the  ordinary  mode 
of  doing  this  round  the  neck  is  called  enlaser).  Two  lines 
of  horsemen,  each  from  ten  to  twenty  in  number,  are 
placed  at  distances  so  far  apart  as  to  allow  a  mounted 
gaucho  to  pass  between  them.  This  man  is  to  gallop  as 
fast  as  he  can  from  one  end  to  the  other, — in  fact,  to  run 
the  gauntlet.  Every  horseman  in  the  lines  between  which 
he  passes  is  furnished  with  a  lasso.  As  he  gallops  up  to 
the  end  of  the  line  the  first  lasso  is  thrown  ;  should  it  miss 
him,  the  second  is  cast,  and  so  on.  The  dexterity  evidenced 
by  the  watchfulness  of  men  able  to  throw  in  such  rapid 
succession  after  a  horse  which  is  galloping,  whilst  they  are 
standing,  is  truly  expert.  At  length  the  horse  is  pinned, 
and  down  he  falls  as  if  he  were  shot.  And  now  the  activity 
of  the  gaucho  is  displayed,  for  he  comes  on  his  feet  with- 
out any  injury,  smoking  his  cigarette  as  coolly  as  when  he 
lighted  it  at  the  starting-post. 

The  original  popularity  of  Rosas  was  founded  on  his 
gaucho  dexterity. 

The  game  of  el  pato  is  performed  by  sewing  a  cooked 
duck  into  a  piece  of  hide,  leaving  a  leather  point  at  each 
end  for  the  hand  to  grasp.  This  play  having  been  in 
former  times  limited  in  its  carousal  to  the  feast  of  St.  John 
(or  San  Juan),  a  gaucho  took  it  up.  Whoever  is  the 
smartest  secures  the  duck,  and  gallops  away  to  any  house 
where  he  knows  a  woman  residing  who  bears  the  name  of 
Juana, — Joan  I  suppose  she  would  be  called  in  English.  It 
is  an  established  rule  that  tho  lady  of  this  name  should 
give  a  four-real  piece  (i.e.,  one  shilling  and  sixpence),  either 
with  the  original  duck  returned  or  another  equally  complete. 
Then  away  he  gallops  to  another  house  where  lives  a 
maiden  of  the  name  of  Leonora,  followed  by  a  troop  of 


Hutchinson]    THE   GAUCHO  AND  HIS  HORSE.  501 

his  gaucho  colleagues,  trying  to  snap  the  duck-bag  out  of 
his  hand.  With  it,  of  course,  must  be  delivered  up  the 
four-real  piece  in  the  best  of  good  humor.  Falls  and 
broken  legs  have  often  been  the  result  of  this  game. 

Juego  de  la  sortija  is  a  class  of  sport  pla}-ed  by  having  a 
small  finger-ring  fastened  under  a  gibbet,  beneath  which 
a  gaucho  gallops,  and  tries  to  tilt  off  the  ring  with  a  skewer 
which  he  holds  in  his  hand.     This  is  done  for  a  prize. 

The  salutation  between  two  gauchos — even  though  they 
be  the  best  of  friends — who  have  not  met  for  a  long  time 
is  prefixed  by  a  pass  of  arms  with  their  knives.  The  con- 
duct of  these  men  is  in  general  marked  by  sobriety,  but 
when  the  "patron"  pays  them  their  wages  they  often  buy 
a  dozen  of  brandy  or  of  gin,  and  this  is  all  drunk,  or 
spilled  in  drinking,  by  one  man  at  a  single  sitting. 

It  often  happens  in  the  gaucho  communities  that  some 
one  gains  a  reputation  for  bravery.  To  prove  his  courage, 
this  hero  goes  to  a  pulperia,  with  a  bottle  in  one  hand  and 
a  knife  in  the  other,  stands  at  the  door,  and  turns  out  all 
the  occupants.  One  gaucho  in  the  north  and  another  in 
the  south  hear  of  each  other's  bravery,  obtain  a  meeting, 
and,  after  returning  compliments,  draw  out  their  knives 
and  fight  to  the  death. 

The  gaucho  dress  is  peculiar, — a  poncho,  which  is  placed 
over  the  head  by  a  hole  in  the  centre,  and  which  falls  over 
the  body  to  the  hips.  This  is  often  of  a  very  gay  pattern, 
especially  on  Sundays  and  holidays.  The  lower  garment 
is  a  curious  combination  of  bedgown  and  Turkish  trousers, 
named  calzongillos ;  it  is  bordered  by  a  fringe,  sometimes 
of  rich  lace,  from  two  to  six  inches  in  depth.  Enormous 
spurs  form  part  of  the  toilette.  I  saw  a  pair  on  a  gaucho 
at  the  estancia  of  my  friend  Dr.  Perez  that  measured 
seven  inches  in  diameter.  These  were  of  a  larger  size  than 
those    mentioned    by   Mr.    Darwin   in    his   "Journal    of 


502  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.       [Hutchinson 

Eesearches,"  describing  the  "  Beagle's"  voyage  round  the 
world,  and  which  he  saw  in  Chile,  measuring  six  inches  in 
the  same  direction  as  aforesaid.  The  boots  for  working 
purposes  are  made  of  untanned  hide,  but  those  for  holiday 
dress  are  often  of  patent  leather  with  bright  scarlet  tops. 

Many  of  the  gauchos  wear  purple  or  yellow  handker- 
chiefs over  their  heads,  inside  the  sombrero,  and  others 
have  wide  belts  around  their  bodies,  that  are  glistening 
with  silver  dollars  tacked  on.  The  costume  of  a  gaucho  is, 
however,  only  complete  when  he  is  on  horseback  with  the 
bolas,  the  lasso,  and  a  knife  at  his  girdle.  The  bolas  consists 
of  two  balls,  which  are  fastened  at  the  end  of  two  short 
leathern  ropes,  and  thrown  by  means  of  another  short 
thong, — all  three  being  secured  together, — when  they  are 
whirled  round  the  head  of  the  thrower  before  propulsion, 
which  is  so  efficaciously  managed  as  to  bring  down  at  once 
the  horse  or  cow  in  whose  legs  they  get  entangled. 

Mr.  Prescott,  in  his  admirable  work  on  the  "  History  and 
Conquest  of  Peru,"  when  alluding  to  the  attack  made  by 
the  Peruvians  on  their  ancient  capital  Cuzco,  then  (a.d. 
1535)  occupied  by  the  Spanish  invaders  under  Pizarro, 
writes  thus  of  the  lasso :  "  One  weapon  peculiar  to  South 
American  warfare  was  used  to  some  effect  by  the  Peruvians. 
This  was  the  lasso, — a  long  rope  with  a  noose  at  the  end, 
which  they  adroitly  threw  over  the  rider,  or  entangled 
with  it  the  legs  of  his  horse,  so  as  to  bring  them  both  to 
the  ground.  More  than  one  family  fell  into  the  hands  of 
the  enemy  by  this  expedient."  The  knowledge  of  the 
weapon  was  therefore,  in  all  probability,  derived  from  this 
quarter. 

The  horse-riding  of  the  Chaco  Indians,  even  in  our  day, 
surpasses  that  of  the  gaucho.  Fancy  a  troop  of  horses, 
apparently  riderless,  galloping  at  full  speed,  yet  each  of 
these  animals  is  managed  by  a  man  who,  with  one  arm 


Darwin]         VALPARAISO  AND  ITS  VICINITY.  5031 

over  the  neck  of  his  brute,  and  with  his  other  hand  guiding 
a  bridle  as  well  as  grasping  a  lance,  supports  the  whole 
weight  of  his  body  by  the  back  of  the  feet  near  the  toes, 
clinging  on  the  horse's  spine  above  his  loins, — the  rider's 
body  being  thus  extended,  under  cover  of  the  steed's  side. 
As  quick  as  thought  he  is  up  and  standing  on  the  horse's 
back  with  a  war-cry  of  defiance, — although,  according  to 
Captain  Page,  U.S.N.,  never  flinging  away  his  javelin,  for 
with  him  it  must  be  a  hand-to-hand  fight, — whilst  with 
equal  rapidity  he  is  down  again,  so  as  to  be  protected  by 
the  body  of  the  horse,  which  is  all  the  time  in  full  gallop. 

Mr.  Coghlan,  C.E.,  and  now  attached  to  the  Buenos 
Ayres  government,  writes  of  those  whom  he  saw  when 
exploring  the  Salado  del  Norte:  '-The  riding  of  the  In- 
dians is  wonderful.  The  gauchos  even  give  their  horses 
some  preliminary  training;  but  the  Indian  catches  him 
(of  course  with  the  lasso),  throws  him  down,  forces  a 
wooden  bit  into  his  mouth,  with  a  piece  of  hide  binds  it 
fast  to  the  lower  jaw,  and  rides  him.  I  have  seen  a  man  at 
the  full  gallop  of  his  horse  put  his  hand  on  the  mane  and 
jump  forward  on  his  feet,  letting  the  animal  go  on  without 
a  check,  merely  to  put  his  hand  to  something." 


VALPARAISO  AND  ITS  VICINITY. 

CHARLES   DARWIN. 

[It  is  doubtful  if  there  exists  a  more  interesting  work  of  scien- 
tific travel  than  Darwin's  "  Journal  of  Kesearchcs  into  the  Natural 
History  and  Geology  of  the  Countries  visited  during  the  Voyage 
Round  the  World  of  H.  M.  S.  Beagle  "  Nothing  of  scientific  in- 
terest and  value  seems  to  have  missed  the  eyes  of  the  indefatigable  ex- 
plorer, and  he  has  described  what  he  saw  in  so  lucid  and  agreeable  a 


504  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Dakwin 

style  as  to  make  his  work  a  veritable  classic  of  travel  and  research. 
We  give  here  his  description  of  Valparaiso  and  the  adjoining  country.] 

July  23. — The  "  Beagle"  anchored  late  at  night  in  the 
bay  of  Valparaiso,  the  chief  seaport  of  Chile.  When 
morning  came  everything  appeared  delightful.  After 
Tierra  del  Fuego  the  climate  felt  quite  delicious, — the  at- 
mosphere so  dry,  and  the  heavens  so  clear  and  blue  with 
the  sun  shining  brightly,  that  all  nature  seemed  sparkling 
with  life.  The  view  from  the  anchorage  is  very  pretty. 
The  town  is  built  at  the  very  foot  of  a  range  of  hills,  about 
sixteen  hundred  feet  high  and  rather  steep.  From  its 
position  it  consists  of  one  long,  straggling  street,  which 
runs  parallel  to  the  beach,  and  wherever  a  ravine  comes 
down  the  houses  are  piled  up  on  each  sido  of  it.  The 
rounded  hills,  being  only  partially  protected  by  a  very 
scanty  vegetation,  are  worn  into  numberless  little  gullies, 
which  expose  a  singularly  bright  red  soil.  From  this 
cause,  and  from  the  low  whitewashed  houses  with  tile 
roofs,  the  view  reminded  me  of  St.  Cruz  in  Teneriffe. 

In  a  northeasterly  direction  there  are  some  fine  glimpses 
of  the  Andes ;  but  these  mountains  appear  much  grander 
when  viewed  from  the  neighboring  hills ;  the  great  distance 
at  which  they  are  situated  can  then  more  readily  be  per- 
ceived. The  volcano  of  Aconcagua  is  particularly  mag- 
nificent. This  huge  and  irregularly  conical  mass  has  an 
elevation  greater  than  that  of  Chimborazo;  for,  from 
measurements  made  by  officers  of  the  "  Beagle,"  its  height 
is  no  less  than  twenty-three  thousand  feet.  The  Cordillera, 
however,  viewed  from  this  point,  owe  the  greater  part  of 
their  beauty  to  the  atmosphere  through  which  they  are 
seen.  When  the  sun  was  setting  in  the  Pacific,  it  was 
admirable  to  watch  how  clearly  their  rugged  outlines  could 
be  distinguished,  yet  how  varied  and  how  delicate  were  the 
shades  of  their  color. 


Darwin]         VALPARAISO  AND   ITS  VICINITY.  505 

The  immediate  neighborhood  of  Valparaiso  is  not  very 
productive  to  the  naturalist.  During  the  long  summer  the 
wind  blows  steadily  from  the  southward,  and  a  little  off 
shore,  so  that  rain  never  falls ;  during  the  three  winter 
months,  however,  it  is  sufficiently  abundant.  The  vegeta- 
tion in  consequence  is  very  scanty :  except  in  some  deep 
valleys  there  are  no  trees,  and  only  a  little  grass  and  a  few 
low  bushes  are  scattered  over  the  less  steep  parts  of  the 
hills.  When  we  reflect  that  at  the  distance  of  three  hun- 
dred and  fifty  miles  to  the  south  this  side  of  the  Andes  is 
completely  hidden  by  one  impenetrable  forest,  the  contrast 
is  very  remarkable. 

I  took  several  long  walks  while  collecting  objects  of 
natural  history.  The  country  is  pleasant  for  exercise. 
There  are  many  very  beautiful  flowers;  and,  as  in  most 
other  dry  climates,  the  plants  and  shrubs  possess  strong 
and  peculiar  odors, — even  one's  clothes  in  brushing  through 
them  becomes  scented.  I  did  not  cease  from  wonder  at 
finding  each  succeeding  day  as  fine  as  the  foregoing.  What 
a  difference  does  climate  make  in  the  enjoyment  of  life ! 
How  opposite  are  the  sensations  when  viewing  black 
mountains  half  enveloped  in  clouds,  and  seeing  another 
range  through  the  light  blue  haze  of  a  fine  day!  The 
one  for  a  time  may  be  very  sublime ;  the  other  is  all  gayety 
and  happy  life. 

August  14- — I  set  out  on  a  riding  excursion,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  geologizing  the  basal  parts  of  the  Andes,  which 
alone  at  this  time  of  the  year  are  not  shut  up  by  the  winter 
snow.  Our  first  day's  ride  was  northward  along  the  sea 
coast.  After  dark  we  reached  the  Hacienda  de  Quintero, 
the  estate  which  formerly  belonged  to  Lord  Cochrane. 
My  object  in  coming  here  was  to  see  the  great  beds  of 
shells  which  stand  some  yards  above  the  level  of  the  sea, 
and  are  burnt  for  lime.  The  proofs  of  the  elevation  of  this 
w  43 


506  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Darwin 

whole  line  of  coast  are  unequivocal :  at  the  height  of  a  few 
hundred  feet  old-looking  shells  are  numerous,  and  I  found 
some  at  thirteen  hundred  feet.  These  shells  either  lie  loose 
upon  the  surface  or  are  embedded  in  a  reddish-black  vege- 
table mould.  I  was  very  much  surprised  to  find  under 
the  microscope  that  this  vegetable  mould  is  really  marine 
mud,  full  of  minute  particles  of  organic  bodies. 

15th. — We  returned  towards  the  valley  of  Quillota.  The 
country  was  exceedingly  pleasant,  just  such  as  poets 
would  call  pastoral ;  green  open  lawns,  separated  by  small 
valleys  with  rivulets,  and  the  cottages,  we  may  suppose  of 
the  shepherds,  scattered  on  the  hill-sides.  We  were  obliged 
to  cross  the  ridge  of  the  Chilicauquen.  At  its  base  there 
were  many  fine  evergreen  forest-trees,  but  these  flourished 
only  in  the  ravines,  where  there  was  running  water.  Any 
person  who  had  seen  only  the  country  near  Valparaiso 
would  never  have  imagined  that  there  had  been  such  pic- 
turesque spots  in  Chile. 

As  soon  as  we  reached  the  brow  of  the  Sierra,  the  valley 
of  Quillota  was  immediately  under  our  feet.  The  prospect 
was  one  of  remarkable  artificial  luxuriance.  The  valley  is 
very  broad  and  quite  flat,  and  is  thus  easily  irrigated  in  all 
parts.  The  little  square  gardens  are  crowded  with  orange- 
and  olive-trees  and  every  sort  of  vegetable.  On  each  side 
huge  bare  mountains  rise,  and  this  from  the  contrast  ren- 
ders the  patchwork  valley  the  more  pleasing.  Whoever 
called  Valparaiso  the  "  Valley  of  Paradise"  must  have  been 
thinking  of  Quillota.  We  crossed  over  to  the  Hacienda  de 
San  Isidro,  situated  at  the  very  mot  of  the  Bell  Mountain. 

Chile,  as  may  be  seen  in  the  maps,  is  a  narrow  strip  of 
land  between  the  Cordillera  and  the  Pacific ;  and  this  strip 
is  itself  traversed  by  several  mountain-lines,  which  in  this 
part  run  parallel  to  the  great  range.  Between  these  outer 
lines  and  the  main  Cordillera  a  succession  of  level  basins, 


Darwin]         VALPARAISO  AND  ITS  VICINITY.  507 

generally  opening  into  each  other  by  narrow  passages,  ex- 
tend far  to  the  southward ;  in  these  the  principal  towns 
are  situated,  as  San  Felipe,  Santiago,  San  Fernando.  These 
basins  or  plains,  together  with  the  transverse  flat  valleys 
(like  that  of  Quillota),  which  connect  them  with  the  coast, 
I  have  no  doubt  are  the  bottoms  of  ancient  inlets  and  deep 
bays,  such  as  at  the  present  day  intersect  every  part  of 
Terra  del  Fuego  and  the  western  coast.  Chile  must  for- 
merly have  resembled  the  latter  country  in  the  configura- 
tion of  its  land  and  water.  The  resemblance  was  occa- 
sionally shown  strikingly  when  a  level  fog-bank  covered, 
as  with  a  mantle,  all  the  lower  parts  of  the  country;  the 
white  vapor  curling  into  the  ravines  beautifully  repre- 
sented little  coves  and  bays,  and  here  and  there  a  solitary 
hillock,  peeping  up,  showed  that  it  had  formerly  stood 
there  as  an  islet.  The  contrast  of  these  flat  valleys  and 
basins  with  the  irregular  mountains  gave  the  scenery  a 
character  which  to  me  was  new  and  very  interesting. 

From  the  natural  slope  to  seaward  of  these  plains  they 
are  very  easily  irrigated,  and  in  consequence  singularly 
fertile.  Without  this  process  the  land  would  produce 
scarcely  anything,  for  during  the  whole  summer  the  sky  is 
cloudless.  The  mountains  and  hills  are  dotted  over  with 
bushes  and  low  trees,  and  excepting  these  the  vegetation 
is  very  scanty.  Each  land-owner  in  the  valley  possesses  a 
certain  portion  of  hill-country,  where  his  half-wild  cattle, 
in  considerable  numbers,  manage  to  find  sufficient  pasture. 

Once  every  year  there  is  a  grand  rodeo,  when  all  the 
cattle  are  driven  down,  counted,  and  marked,  and  a  certain 
number  separated  to  be  fattened  in  the  irrigated  fields. 
Wheat  is  extensively  cultivated,  and  a  good  deal  of  Indian 
corn;  a  kind  of  bean  is,  however,  the  staple  articlo  of  food 
for  the  common  laborers.  Tho  orchards  produce  an  over- 
flowing abundance  of  peaches,  figs,  and  grapes.     With  ah 


508  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Darwin 

these  advantages,  the  inhabitants  of  the  country  ought  to 
be  much  more  prosperous  than  they  are. 

16th. — The  major-domo  of  the  hacienda  was  good  enough 
to  give  me  a  guide  and  fresh  horses,  and  in  the  morning 
we  set  out  to  ascend  the  Campana,  or  Bell  Mountain,  which 
is  six  thousand  four  hundred  feet  high.  The  paths  were 
very  bad,  but  both  the  geology  and  scenery  amply  repaid 
the  trouble.  We  reached,  by  the  evening,  a  spring  called 
the  Agua  del  Guanaco,  which  is  situated  at  a  great  height. 
This  must  be  an  old  name,  for  it  is  very  many  years  since 
a  guanaco  drank  its  waters.  During  the  ascent  I  noticed 
that  nothing  but  bushes  grew  on  the  northern  slope, 
while  on  the  southern  slope  there  was  a  bamboo  about 
fifteen  feet  high.  In  a  few  places  there  were  palms,  and  I 
was  surprised  to  see  one  at  an  elevation  of  at  least  four 
thousand  five  hundred  feet.  These  palms  are,  for  their 
family,  ugly  trees.  Their  stem  is  very  large  and  of  a 
curious  form,  being  thicker  in  the  middle  than  at  the  base 
or  top.  They  are  excessively  numerous  in  some  parts  of 
Chile,  and  valuable  on  account  of  a  sort  of  treacle  made 
from  the  sap. 

On  one  estate  near  Petorca  they  tried  to  count  them,  but 
failed,  after  having  numbered  several  hundred  thousand. 
Every  year  in  the  early  spring,  in  August,  very  many  are 
cut  down,  and  when  the  trunk  is  lying  on  the  ground  the 
crown  of  leaves  is  lopped  off.  The  sap  then  immediately 
begins  to  flow  from  the  upper  end,  and  continues  so  doing 
for  some  months ;  it  is,  however,  necessary  that  a  thin  slice 
should  be  shaved  off  from  that  end  every  morning,  so  as  to 
expose  a  fresh  surface.  A  good  tree  will  give  ninety  gal- 
lons, and  all  this  must  have  been  contained  in  the  vessels 
of  the  apparently  dry  trunk.  It  is  said  that  the  sap  flows 
much  more  quickly  on  those  days  when  the  sun  is  power- 
ful, and  likewise  that  it  is  absolutely  necessary  to  take 


Darwin]         VALPARAISO  AND  ITS  VICINITY.  509 

care,  in  cutting  down  the  tree,  that  it  should  fall  with  its 
head  upward  on  the  slope  of  the  hill ;  for  if  it  falls  down 
the  slope  scarcely  any  sap  will  flow,  although  in  that  case 
one  would  have  thought  that  the  action  would  have  been 
aided,  instead  of  checked,  by  the  force  of  gravity.  The  sap 
is  concentrated  by  boiling,  and  is  then  called  treacle,  which 
it  very  much  resembles  in  taste. 

We  unsaddled  our  horses  near  the  spring,  and  prepared 
to  pass  the  night.  The  evening  was  fine,  and  the  atmos- 
phere so  clear  that  the  masts  of  vessels  at  anchor  in  the 
bay  of  Valparaiso,  although  no  less  than  twenty-six  geo- 
graphical miles  distant,  could  be  distinguished  clearly  as 
little  black  streaks.  A  ship  doubling  the  point  under  sail 
appeared  as  a  bright  white  speck.  Anson  expresses  much 
surprise,  in  his  voyage,  at  the  distance  at  which  his  vessels 
were  detected  from  the  coast ;  but  he  did  not  sufficiently 
allow  for  the  height  of  the  land  and  the  great  transparency 
of  the  air. 

The  setting  of  the  sun  was  glorious,  the  valleys  being 
black,  whilst  the  snowy  peaks  of  the  Andes  yet  retained  a 
ruby  tint.  When  it  was  dark  we  made  a  fire  beneath  a 
little  arbor  of  bamboos,  fried  our  charqui  (or  dried  slips  of 
beef),  took  our  mate,  and  were  quite  comfortable.  There 
is  an  inexpressible  charm  in  this  living  in  the  open  air. 
The  evening  was  calm  and  still ;  the  shrill  noise  of  the 
mountain  bizcacha  and  the  faint  cry  of  a  goatsucker  were 
occasionally  to  be  heard.  Besides  these,  few  birds,  or  even 
insects,  frequent  these  dry,  parched  mountains. 

17th. — In  the  morning  we  climbed  up  the  rough  mass  of 
greenstone  which  crowns  the  summit.  This  rock,  as  fre- 
quently happens,  was  much  shattered  and  broken  into 
huge  angular  fragments.  I  observed,  however,  one  re- 
markable circumstance, — namely,  that  many  of  the  sur- 
faces presented  every  degree  of  freshness,  some  appearing 

43* 


510  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Darwin 

as  if  broken  the  day  before,  while  on  others  lichens  had 
either  just  become,  or  had  long  grown,  attached.  I  so 
fully  believed  that  this  was  owing  to  the  frequent  earth- 
quakes, that  I  felt  inclined  to  hurry  from  below  each  loose 
pile.  As  one  might  very  easily  be  deceived  in  a  fact  of 
this  kind,  I  doubted  its  accuracy,  until  ascending  Mount 
Wellington,  in  Yan  Diemen's  Land,  where  earthquakes  do 
not  occur,  and  there  I  saw  the  summit  of  the  mountain 
similarly  composed  and  similarly  shattered,  but  all  the 
blocks  appeared  as  if  they  had  been  hurled  into  their 
present  position  thousands  of  years  ago. 

We  spent  the  day  on  the  summit,  and  I  never  enj'03'ed 
one  more  thoroughly.  Chile,  bounded  by  the  Andes  and 
the  Pacific,  was  seen  as  in  a  map.  The  pleasure  from  the 
scenery,  in  itself  beautiful,  was  heightened  by  the  many  re- 
flections which  arose  from  the  mere  view  of  the  Campana 
range,  with  its  lesser  parallel  ones,  and  of  the  broad  valley 
of  Quillota  directly  intersecting  them.  Who  can  avoid 
wondering  at  the  force  which  has  upheaved  these  moun- 
tains, and  even  more  so  at  the  countless  ages  which  it  must 
have  required  to  have  broken  through,  removed,  and  lev- 
elled whole  masses  of  them  ?  It  is  well  in  this  case  to  call 
to  mind  the  vast  shingle  and  sedimentary  beds  of  Pata- 
gonia, which,  if  heaped  on  the  Cordillera,  would  increase 
its  height  by  so  many  thousand  feet.  When  in  that 
country  I  wondered  how  any  mountain-chain  could  supply 
such  masses  and  not  have  been  utterly  obliterated.  We 
must  not  now  reverse  the  wonder,  and  doubt  whether  all- 
powerful  time  can  grind  down  mountains  —  even  the 
gigantic  Cordillera — into  gravel  and  mud. 

The  appearance  of  the  Andes  was  different  from  that 
which  I  had  expected.  The  lower  line  of  the  snow  was  of 
course  horizontal,  and  to  this  line  the  even  summits  of  the 
range   seemed   quite   parallel.     Only  at   long   intervals  a 


Darwin]         VALPARAISO  AND  ITS  VICINITY.  511 

group  of  points  or  a  single  cone  showed  where  a  volcano 
had  existed,  or  does  now  exist.  Hence  the  range  resem- 
bled a  great  solid  wall,  surmounted  here  and  there  by  a 
tower,  and  making  a  most  perfect  barrier  to  the  country. 

Almost  every  part  of  the  hill  had  been  drilled  by  at- 
tempts to  open  gold-mines;  the  rage  for  mining  has  left 
scarcely  a  spot  in  Chile  unexamined.  I  spent  the  evening 
as  before,  talking  round  the  fire  with  my  two  companions. 
The  guasos  of  Chile,  Avho  correspond  to  the  gauchos  of 
the  Pampas,  are,  however,  a  very  different  set  of  beings. 
Chile  is  the  more  civilized  of  the  two  countries,  and  the  in- 
habitants, in  consequence,  have  lost  much  individual  char- 
acter. Gradations  in  rank  are  much  more  strongly  marked. 
The  guaso  does  not  by  any  means  consider  every  man  his 
equal,  and  I  was  quite  surprised  to  find  that  my  compan- 
ions did  not  like  to  eat  at  the  same  time  with  myself. 

This  feeling  of  inequality  is  a  necessary  consequence  of 
the  existence  of  an  aristocracy  of  wealth.  It  is  said  that 
some  few  of  the  greater  land-owners  possess  from  five  to 
ten  thousand  pounds  sterling  per  annum,  an  inequality  of 
riches  which  I  believe  is  not  met  with  in  any  of  the  cattle- 
breeding  countries  eastward  of  the  Andes.  A  traveller 
does  not  here  meet  that  unbounded  hospitality  which  re- 
fuses all  payment,  but  yet  is  so  kindly  offered  that  no 
scruples  can  be  raised  in  accepting  it.  Almost  every  house 
in  Chile  will  receive  you  for  the  night,  but  a  triflo  is  ex- 
pected to  be  given  in  the  morning;  even  a  rich  man  will 
accept  two  or  three  shillings. 

The  gaucho,  though  he  may  be  a  cut-throat,  is  a  gen- 
tleman ;  the  guaso  is  in  few  respects  better,  but  at  the 
same  time  a  vulgar,  ordinary  fellow.  The  two  men,  al- 
though employed  much  in  the  same  manner,  are  different 
in  their  habits  and  attire,  and  the  peculiarities  of  each  are 
universal  in  their  respective  countries.     The  gaucho  seems 


512  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Bourne 

part  of  his  horse,  and  scorns  to  exert  himself  excepting 
when  on  its  back ;  the  guaso  may  be  hired  to  work  as  a 
laborer  in  the  fields.  The  former  lives  entirely  on  animal 
food,  the  latter  almost  wholly  on  vegetable.  We  do  not 
here  see  the  white  boots,  the  broad  drawers,  and  scarlet 
chilipa,  the  picturesque  costume  of  the  Pampas.  Here 
common  trousers  are  protected  by  black  and  green  worsted 
leggings.  The  poncho,  however,  is  common  to  both.  The 
chief  pride  of  the  guaso  lies  in  his  spurs,  which  are  ab- 
surdly large.  I  measured  one  which  was  six  inches  in 
the  diameter  of  the  rowel,  and  the  rowel  itself  contained 
upward  of  thirty  points.  The  stirrups  are  on  the  same 
scale,  each  consisting  of  a  square  carved  block  of  wood, 
hollowed  out,  yet  weighing  three  or  four  pounds.  The 
guaso  is  perhaps  more  expert  with  the  lazo  than  the 
gaucho,  but,  from  the  nature  of  the  country,  he  does  not 
know  the  use  of  the  bolas. 


AN  ESCAPE  FROM  CAPTIVITY. 

BENJAMIN   F.  BOURNE. 

[Benjamin  Franklin  Bourne,  mate  of  a  vessel  that  sailed,  via  the 
Straits  of  Magellan,  for  California  in  1849,  during  the  intensity  of  the 
gold  fever,  was  taken  prisoner  by  the  Patagonians,  having  landed  to 
bring  off'  some  of  the  sailors.  He  remained  in  their  hands  for  more 
than  three  months,  and  in  his  "The  Captive  in  Patagonia"  gives 
a  detailed  description  of  the  character  and  customs  of  the  natives  of 
that  country.  "We  extract  from  his  work  a  good  brief  description  of 
the  country  and  its  people.] 

Patagonia  as  it  offered  itself  to  my  observation  more 
than  answered  the  descriptions  of  geographers, — bleak, 
barren,  desolate,  beyond  description  or  conception, — only 


Bourne]  AN  ESCAPE  FROM  CAPTIVITY.  513 

to  be  appreciated  by  being  seen.  Viewed  from  the  Straits 
of  Magellan,  it  rises  in  gentle  undulations  or  terraces. 
Far  as  the  eye  can  reach,  in  a  westerly  direction,  it  assumes 
a  more  broken  and  hilly  appearance,  and  long  ranges  of 
mountains  extending  from  north  to  south  divide  the  eastern 
from  the  western  shore.  The  soil  is  of  a  light,  sandy 
character,  and  bears  nothing  worthy  the  name  of  a  tree. 
Low  bushes,  or  underwood,  are  tolerably  abundant,  and  in 
the  valleys  a  coarse  wiry  grass  grows  luxuriantly.  Streams 
of  water  are  rare.  The  natives  draw  their  supplies  princi- 
pally from  springs  or  pools  in  the  valleys,  the  water  of 
which  is  generally  brackish  and  disagreeable. 

The  variety  of  animal  is  nearly  as  limited  as  that  of 
vegetable  productions.  The  guanaco,  a  quadruped  allied 
to  the  lama  and  with  some  resemblance  to  the  camelopard, 
is  found  in  considerable  numbers.  It  is  larger  than  the 
red  deer,  fleet  on  the  foot,  usually  found  in  large  herds, 
frequenting  not  only  the  plains,  but  found  along  the  course 
of  the  Andes.  Its  flesh  is  a  principal  article  of  food ;  its 
skin  is  dried  with  the  hair  on,  in  such  a  manner  that,  when 
wet,  it  retains  its  pliability  and  softness.  This  process  of 
preserving  skins  seems  to  be  peculiar  to  the  Indian  tribes, 
and  is  not  unlike  that  by  which  buffalo-robes,  bear-skins, 
buckskins,  and  other  articles  of  luxury,  and  even  necessity, 
among  us,  are  prepared  by  the  North  American  Indians. 
Guanaco-skins  are  cut  into  pieces  of  all  sizes,  and  sewed 
into  a  thousand  fanciful  patterns,  every  workman  origi- 
nating a  style  to  suit  himself.  The  hoofs  are  sometimes 
turned  to  account  by  the  natives  as  soles  for  shoes,  when 
they  indulge  in  such  a  luxury,  which  is  not  often. 

The  enemy  of  the  guanaco  is  the  cougar,  or  "  American 
lion,"  smaller  than  its  African  namesake,  and  more  resem- 
bling the  tiger  in  bis  character  and  habits,  having  a  smooth, 
sleek  coat,  of  a  brownish-yellow  color, — altogether  a  very 
i.—hh 


514  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Bournk 

beautiful  but  ferocious  creature.  His  chase  is  a  favorite, 
though  rare  and  dangerous,  sport  of  the  natives.  Patago- 
nia likewise  boasts  of  the  skunk,  whose  flesh  is  used  for 
food.  There  are  also  foxes,  and  innumerable  mice.  Of 
birds,  the  only  noticeable  varieties  are  the  condor,  in  the 
Andes,  and  the  cassowary,  a  species  of  ostrich,  smaller 
than  that  of  Africa,  on  the  plains ;  its  plumage  is  not 
abundant,  generally  of  a  gray  or  dun  color.  Its  flesh  is 
tender  and  sweet,  and  with  the  fat  much  prized  by  the 
Indians.  Like  the  African  ostrich,  it  is  exceedingly  swift, 
only  to  be  captured  on  horseback,  and  often  fleet  enough  to 
outrun  the  fastest  racer. 

The  climate  is  severe  ;  the  Rio  Negro  forms  the  northern 
boundary,  and  nearly  the  whole  country  is  south  of  the 
parallel  of  40°  south  latitude.  At  the  time  of  my  capture, 
which  was  in  the  month  of  May,  the  weather  corresponded 
to  that  of  November  in  the  New  England  States.  Its 
chilliness,  however,  was  greatly  increased  by  the  bleak 
winds  of  that  exposed  locality.  Along  the  Straits  of 
Magellan  the  weather  is  often  exceedingly  changeable. 
Sudden  and  severe  squalls,  often  amounting  almost  to  a 
hurricane,  vex  the  navigation  of  the  straits,  and  sweep 
over  the  coast  with  fearful  fury. 

The  habits  of  the  Patagonians,  or  at  least  of  the  tribe 
among  whom  I  was  cast,  are  migratory,  wandering  over 
the  country  in  quest  of  game,  or  as  their  caprice  may 
prompt  them.  They  subsist  altogether  on  the  flesh  of  ani- 
mals and  birds.  The  guanaco  furnishes  most  of  their  food, 
and  all  their  clothing.  A  mantle  of  skins,  sewed  with  the 
sinews  of  the  ostrich,  fitted  closely  about  the  neck  and  ex- 
tending below  the  knee,  is  their  only  article  of  dress,  except 
in  the  coldest  weather,  when  a  kind  of  shoe,  made  of  the 
hind  hoof  and  a  portion  of  the  skin  above  it,  serves  to 
protect  their  inferior  extremities. 


Bourne]  AN  ESCAPE  FROM  CAPTIVITY.  515 

In  person  they  are  large;  on  first  sight,  they  appear 
absolutely  gigantic.  They  are  taller  than  any  other  race  I 
have  seen,  although  it  is  impossible  to  give  any  accurate 
description.  The  only  standard  of  measurement  I  had  was 
my  own  height,  which  is  about  five  feet  ten  inches.  I 
could  stand  very  easily  under  the  arms  of  many  of  them, 
and  all  the  men  were  at  least  a  head  taller  than  myself. 
Their  average  height,  I  should  think,  is  nearly  six  and  a 
half  feet,  and  there  were  specimens  that  could  have  been 
little  less  than  seven  feet  high.  They  have  broad  shoulders, 
full  and  well-developed  chests,  frames  muscular  and  finely 
proportioned,  the  whole  figure  and  air  making  an  impres- 
sion like  that  which  the  first  view  of  the  sons  of  Anak  is 
recorded  to  have  made  on  the  children  of  Israel.  They 
exhibit  enormous  strength,  whenever  they  arc  sufficiently 
aroused  to  shake  off  their  constitutional  laziness  and  exert 
it. 

They  have  large  heads,  high  cheek-bones,  like  the  North 
American  Indians,  whom  they  also  resemble  in  their  com- 
plexion, though  it  is  a  shade  or  two  darker.  Their  fore- 
heads are  broad,  but  low,  the  hair  covering  them  nearly  to 
the  eyes;  eyes  full,  generally  black,  or  of  a  dark  brown, 
and  brilliant,  though  expressive  of  but  little  intelligence. 
Thick,  coarse,  and  stiff  hair  protects  the  head,  its  abundance 
making  any  artificial  covering  superfluous.  It  is  worn 
long,  generally  divided  at  the  neck,  so  as  to  hang  in  two 
folds  over  the  shoulders  and  back,  but  is  sometimes  bound 
abovo  the  temples  by  a  fillet,  over  which  it  flows  in  ample 
luxuriance.  Like  more  civilized  people,  the  Patagonians 
take  great  pride  in  the  proper  disposition  and  effective  dis- 
play of  their  hair.  Their  teeth  are.  really%beautiful,  sound 
and  white, — about  the  only  enviable  feature  of  their  per- 
sons. Feet  and  hands  ai*o  large,  but  not  disproportionate 
to  their  total  bulk.      They  have  deep,  heavy  voices  and 


516  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Bourne 

speak  in  guttural  tones, — the  worst  guttural  I  ever  heard, 
— with  a  muttei'ing,  indistinct  articulation,  much  as  if 
their  mouths  were  filled  with  hot  pudding. 

Their  countenances  are  generally  stupid,  but,  on  closer 
inspection,  there  is  a  gleam  of  low  cunning  that  flashes 
through  this  dull  mask,  and  is  increasingly  discernible  on 
acquaintance  with  them  ;  when  excited,  or  engaged  in  any 
earnest  business  that  calls  their  faculties  into  full  exercise, 
their  features  light  up  with  unexpected  intelligence  and 
animation.  In  fact,  as  one  becomes  familiar  with  them,  he 
will  not  fail  to  detect  an  habitual  expression  of  "  secretive- 
ness"  and  duplicity,  which  he  will  wonder  he  did  not 
observe  sooner.  They  are  almost  as  imitative  as  monkeys, 
and  are  all  great  liars ;  falsehood  is  universal  and  inveter- 
ate with  men,  women,  and  children.  The  youngest  seem  to 
inherit  the  taint,  and  vie  with  the  oldest  in  displaying  it. 
The  detection  of  a  falsehood  gives  them  no  shame  or  un- 
easiness. To  these  traits  should  be  added  a  thorough- 
paced treachery,  and,  what  might  seem  rather  inconsistent 
with  their  other  qualities,  a  large  share  of  vanity  and  an 
immoderate  love  of  praise. 

[The  author  has  much  more  to  say  in  this  same  vein,  and  gives  a 
detailed  and  valuable  account  of  their  customs,  which  only  his  captivity 
could  have  enabled  him  to  offer.  His  adventures  were  the  reverse  of 
pleasant,  and  he  was  fortunately  successful  in  the  end  in  inducing 
them  to  visit  the  coast  near  an  island  inhabited  by  whites.  Here  he 
made  a  bold  stroke  for  freedom.] 

Our  horses'  heads  were  now  turned  from  the  shore,  and 
we  rode  back  about  an  eighth  of  a  mile  to  a  large  clump 
of  bushes,  unsaddled  our  beasts,  and  waited  some  time  for 
the  rest  of  our  company,  who  had  fallen  in  the  rear.  They 
came  at  last,  our  horses  were  turned  adrift,  fire  was  lighted, 
and,  as  the  day  was  far  spent,  supper  was  in  order.  Then 
ensued  a  repetition — a  final  one,  I  trusted — of  the  grand 


Bourne]  AN  ESCAPE  FROM  CAPTIVITY.  517 

present  to  be  levied  on  the  Hollanders  [as  the  natives 
called  the  white  settlers],  and  of  the  speech  which  was  to 
draw  them  out.  The  Indians  arranged  that  I  was  to  hoist 
the  English  flag, — the  colors  of  the  unfortunate  brig  "  Avon," 
which  they  had  brought  along  at  my  request, — and  then 
to  walk  the  shore  to  attract  the  attention  of  the  islanders. 
On  the  approach  of  a  boat,  I  was  to  be  kept  back  from  the 
beach  to  prevent  escape ;  for  I  found  that  they  were  not, 
after  all,  as  well  assured  of  my  good  faith  as  might  have 
been  desirable.  They  thought,  moreover,  that  when  the 
white  men  saw  a  prisoner  with  them,  they  would  come 
ashore  to  parley  and  offer  presents  to  effect  his  release ;  in 
that  case  there  might  be  a  chance,  if  the  negotiation 
proved  unsatisfactory,  to  take  bonds  of  fate  in  the  form  of 
another  captive  or  two.  So,  at  least,  there  was  ground  to 
suspect, — and  some  cause  to  fear  that  the  rascals  might 
prove  too  shrewd  for  all  of  us ! 

After  talking  till  a  late  hour,  the  Indians  threw  them- 
selves upon  the  ground,  stuck  their  feet  into  the  bushes, 
and  were  soon  fast  asleep.  I  consulted  the  chief  as  to  the 
propriety  of  modifying  this  arrangement  by  placing  our 
heads,  rather  than  our  feet,  under  cover,  since  both  could 
not  be  accommodated.  He  declined  any  innovations,  and 
told  me  to  go  to  sleep.  I  stretched  myself  on  the  ground, 
but  as  to  sleep  that  was  out  of  question.  I  lay  all  ni^ht 
thinking  over  every  possible  expedient  for  escape.  We 
had  no  materials  for  a  boat  or  raft  of  any  description,  and 
it  was  impossible  to  think  of  any  plan  that  promised 
success ;  so  that,  after  tossing  in  body  and  mind  througli 
the  weary  hours  of  night,  I  could  only  resolve  to  wait  the 
course  of  events,  and  to  take  advantage  of  the  first  oppor- 
tunity affording  a  reasonable  hope  of  deliverance  from  this 
horrid  captivity.  Snow,  sleet,  and  rain  fell  during  the 
night;   and  I  rose  early,  thoroughly  chilled,  every  tooth 

44 


518  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Bouknb 

chattering.  A  fire  was  kindled  and  the  last  morsel  of 
meat  that  remained  to  us  was  cooked  and  eaten.  The 
weather  continued  squally  till  the  middle  of  the  afternoon. 

After  breakfast  the  chief  went  with  me  to  the  shore, 
bearing  the  flag.  On  the  beach  I  found  a  strip  of  thick 
board,  to  which  I  fastened  the  colors,  and  then  planted  it 
in  the  sand.  The  bushes  around,  which  have  a  kind  of  oily 
leaf,  and  readily  ignite,  were  set  on  fire.  I  then  walked 
to  the  beach, — but  no  boat  came.  When  it  cleared  up 
sufficiently  to  see,  I  observed  little  objects  moving  about 
on  the  island.  The  day  wore  away  with  fruitless  attempts 
to  attract  their  attention.  With  an  aching  heart  I  returned, 
at  dark,  to  the  camping-ground.  On  this  island  my  hopes 
had  so  long  centred, — if  they  were  now  to  be  disappointed, 
how  could  I  endure  it?  The  Indians  began  to  talk  of  re- 
joining the  tribe  the  following  day;  I  opposed  the  motion 
with  all  the  dissuasives  at  command,  assuring  them  that  at 
sight  of  our  flag  the  islanders  would  surely  come  over  in  a 
boat,  and  that,  if  they  would  only  wait  a  little,  they  could 
go  over  to  the  island  and  enjoy  themselves  to  their  heart's 
content;  representing  the  absolute  necessity  that  I  should 
procure  the  rum,  etc.,  we  had  talked  of,  and  how  embar- 
rassing it  would  be  to  go  back  to  the  tribe  empty-handed, 
after  all  that  had  been  said,  to  be  ridiculed  and  reproached. 
It  would  never  do. 

Our  conversation  was  continued  till  quite  late,  when  we 
ranged  ourselves,  hungry  and  weary,  for  another  night. 
For  hours  I  was  unable  to  sleep.  The  uncertainties  of  my 
situation  oppressed  mo,  and  I  lay  restless,  with  anxiety  in- 
expressible, inconceivable  by  those  whom  Providence  has 
preserved  from  similar  straits.  It  was  a  season  of  deep, 
suppressed,  silent  misery,  in  which  the  heart  found  no 
relief  but  in  the  mute  supplication  to  Him  who  was  alone 
able  to  deliver.     Towards  morning,  exhausted  with  the  in- 


Bourne]  AN  ESCAPE  FROM  CAPTIVITY.  519 

tensity  of  emotion  acting  on  an  enfeebled  body,  I  slept  a 
little,  and  woke  at  early  dawn,  to  a  fresh  consciousness  of 
my  critical  position. 

The  weather  had  been  fair  during  the  night,  but  there 
were  now  indications  of  another  snow-storm.  I  waited 
long  and  impatiently  for  my  companions  to  awake,  and  at 
last  started  off  in  quest  of  fuel,  on  returning  with  which 
they  bestirred  themselves  and  started  a  fire,  which  warmed 
our  half-benumbed  limbs.  There  lay  the  little  island, 
beautiful  to  eyes  that  longed,  like  mine,  for  a  habitation 
of  sympathizing  men,  about  a  mile  and  a  half  distant.  It 
almost  seemed  to  recede  while  I  gazed,  so  low  had  my 
hopes  sunken  under  the  pressure  of  disappointment  and 
bitter  uncertainty.  A  violent  snow-storm  soon  setting  in, 
it  was  hidden  from  view;  everything  seemed  to  be  against 
me.  It  slackened  and  partially  cleared  up  ;  then  came  an- 
other gust,  filling  the  air  and  shutting  out  the  prospect. 

In  this  way  it  continued  till  past  noon  ;  at  intervals,  as 
the  sky  lighted  up,  I  took  a  firebrand  and  set  fire  to  the 
bushes  on  the  beach,  and  then  hoisted  the  flag  again,  walk- 
ing wearily  to  and  fro  till  the  storm  ceased  and  the  sky 
became  clear.  The  chief  concealed  himself  in  a  clump  of 
bushes,  and  sat  watching  with  cat-like  vigilance  the  move- 
ments of  the  islanders.  After  some  time  he  said  a  boat 
was  coming;  I  scarcely  durst  look  in  the  direction  indi- 
cated, lest  I  should  experience  a  fresh  disappointment;  but 
I  did  look,  and  saw,  to  my  great  joy,  a  boat  launched,  with 
four  or  five  men  on  board,  and  pushing  off  the  shore.  On 
they  came;  the  chief  reported  his  discovery,  and  the  rest 
of  the  Indians  came  to  the  beach,  where  I  was  still  walking 
backward  and  forward.  The  boat  approached,  not  directly 
off  where  I  was,  but  an  eighth  of  a  mile,  perhaps,  to  the 
windward,  and  there  lay  on  her  oars. 

The   Indians   hereupon    ordered    me   to   return    to   the 


520  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Boubnb 

camping-ground,  but,  without  heeding  them,  I  set  off  at  a 
full  run  towards  the  boat.  They  hotly  pursued,  I  occa- 
sionally turning  and  telling  them  to  come  on,  that  I  only 
wanted  to  see  the  boat.  "Stop!  stop!"  they  bawled. 
"  Now,  my  legs,"  said  I,  "  if  ever  you  want  to  serve  me, 
this  is  the  time."  I  had  one  advantage  over  my  pursuers : 
my  shoes,  though  much  the  worse  for  wear,  protected  my 
feet  from  the  sharp  stones,  which  cut  theirs  at  every  step ; 
but,  under  all  disadvantages,  I  found  they  made  about 
equal  speed  with  myself.  As  I  gained  a  point  opposite  the 
boat,  the  Indians  slackened  their  speed  and  looked  uneasily 
at  me ;  the  man  in  the  stern  of  the  boat  hailed  me,  inquiring 
what  Indians  these  were,  what  number  of  them,  and  how 
I  came  among  them.  I  replied  in  as  few  words  as  pos- 
sible, and  told  him  we  wished  to  cross  to  the  island.  He 
shook  his  head ;  they  were  bad  fellows,  he  said ;  he  could 
not  take  me  with  the  Indians.  They  began  to  pull  away. 
I  made  signs  of  distress  and  waved  them  to  return,  shout- 
ing to  them  through  my  hands.  The  boat  was  again 
backed  within  hailing  distance.  "Will  you  look  out  for 
me  if  I  come  by  myself?"     "  Yes,"  was  the  prompt  reply. 

The  Indians  all  this  time  had  kept  within  ten  or  fifteen 
feet  of  me,  with  their  hands  on  their  knives,  and  reiter- 
ating their  commands  to  come  back,  at  the  same  time 
edging  towards  me  in  a  threatening  manner.  "  Yes,  yes," 
I  told  them,  "in  a  moment;  but  I  want  to  look  at  the 
boat," — taking  care,  however,  to  make  good  my  distance 
from  them. 

At  the  instant  of  hearing  the  welcome  assurance  that  I 
should  be  cared  for,  I  drew  out  the  watch  (which  I  had 
brought,  according  to  promise,  to  have  a  new  crystal  in- 
serted at  Holland),  and  threw  it  into  the  bushes;  the  salt 
water  would  spoil  it,  and,  if  I  should  be  retaken,  the  spoil- 
ing of  that  would  be  an  aggravation  which  might  prove 


Bourn k1  AN  ESCAPE  FROM  CAPTIVITY.  521 

fatal.  At  the  same  moment  I  gave  a  plunge  headlong  into 
the  river ;  my  clothes  and  shoes  encumbered  me,  and  the 
surf,  agitated  by  a  high  wind,  rolled  in  heavy  seas  upon 
the  shore.  The  boat  was  forty  or  fifty  yards  off,  and,  as 
the  wind  did  not  blow  square  in  shore,  drifted,  so  as  to  in- 
crease the  original  distance,  unless  counteracted  by  the 
crew.  Whether  the  boat  was  backed  up  towards  me  I  could 
not  determine;  my  head  was  a  great  part  of  the  time 
under  water,  my  eyes  blinded  with  the  surf,  and  most 
strenuous  exertion  was  necessary  to  live  in  such  a  sea. 

As  I  approached  the  boat  I  could  see  several  guns, 
pointed,  apparently,  at  me.  Perhaps  we  had  misunder- 
stood each  other ;  perhaps  they  viewed  me  as  an  enemy. 
In  fact,  they  were  aimed  to  keep  the  Indians  from  follow- 
ing me  into  the  water,  which  they  did  not  attempt.  My 
strength  was  fast  failing  me ;  the  man  at  the  helm,  per- 
ceiving it,  stretched  out  a  rifle  at  arm's  length.  The 
muzzle  dropped  into  the  water  and  arrested  my  feeble 
vision.  Summoning  all  my  remaining  energy,  I  grasped 
it,  and  was  drawn  towards  the  boat ;  a  sense  of  relief  shot 
through  and  revived  me,  but  revived,  also,  such  a  dread 
lest  the  Indians  should  give  chase,  that  I  begged  them  to 
pull  away,  I  could  hold  on.  The  man  reached  down  and 
seized  me  by  the  collar,  and  ordered  his  men  to  ply  their 
oars.  They  had  made  but  a  few  strokes  when  a  simulta- 
neous cry  broke  from  their  lips,  "  Pull  the  dear  man  in ! 
Pull  the  dear  man  in!"  They  let  fall  their  oars,  laid  hold 
of  me,  and,  in  their  effort  to  drag  me  over  the  side  of  their 
whale-boat,  I  received  some  injury.  I  requested  that  they 
would  let  me  help  myself,  and,  working  my  body  up  suffi- 
ciently to  get  one  knee  over  the  gunwale,  I  gave  a  spring 
with  what  strength  was  left  me,  and  foil  into  the  bottom 
of  the  boat. 

They  kindly  offered  to  strip  me  and  put  on  dry  clothing ; 

44* 


522  HALF-HOURS  OF  TRAVEL.  [Boubnk 

but  I  told  them,  if  they  would  only  work  the  boat  farther 
from  the  shore,  I  would  take  care  of  myself.  They  pulled 
away,  while  I  crawled  forward,  divested  mj'self  of  my 
coat,  and  put  on  one  belonging  to  one  of  the  crew.  Con- 
versation, which  was  attempted,  was  impossible.  It  was 
one  of  the  coldest  days  in  a  Patagonian  winter.  I  was 
chilled  through,  and  could  only  articulate,  "  I  ca-n't  ta-lk 
now ;  I'll  ta-lk  by  a-nd  by."  Some  liquor,  bread,  and  to- 
bacco, which  had  been  put  on  board  for  my  ransom,  on 
supposition  that  this  was  what  the  signal  meant,  was  pro- 
duced for  my  refreshment.  The  sea  was  heavy,  with  a 
strong  head-wind,  so  that,  though  the  men  toiled  vigor- 
ously, our  progress  was  slow.  1  was  soon  comfortably 
warmed  by  the  stimulants  provided,  and  offered  to  lend  a 
hand  at  the  oar,  but  the  offer  was  declined.  The  shouts 
and  screams  of  the  Indians,  which  had  followed  me  into 
the  water,  and  rung  hideously  in  my  ears  while  struggling 
for  life  in  the  surf,  were  kept  up  till  distance  made  them 
inaudible.  Whether  they  found  the  watch,  whose  myste- 
rious tick  at  once  awed  and  delighted  them,  and  restored  it 
to  its  place  of  state  in  the  chief's  lodge,  or  whether  it  still 
lies  rusting  in  the  sands  by  the  sea-shore,  is  a  problem  un- 
solved. 

The  boat  at  last  grounded  on  the  northern  shore  of  the 
island.  Mr.  Hall,  the  gentleman  who  commanded  the 
party,  supported  my  tottering  frame  in  landing,  and,  as 
we  stepped  upon  the  shore,  welcomed  me  to  their  island. 
I  grasped  his  hand  and  stammered  my  thanks  for  this  de- 
liverance, and  lifted  a  tearful  eye  to  heaven  in  silent 
gratitude  to  God.  I  was  then  pointed  to  a  cabin  near  by, 
where  a  comfortable  fire  was  ready  for  me.  "  Now,"  I 
heard  Mr.  Hall  say,  "  let  us  fire  a  salute  of  welcome  to  the 
stranger.  Make  ready!  Present!  Fire!"  Off  went  all 
their  muskets,  and  a  very  cordial  salute  it  appeared  to  be. 


INDEX. 


A.  PAGE 

Alaska,  A  Summer  Trip  to James  A.  Harrison 235 

Amazon    and    Madeira    Rivers,    The 


Forests  of  the 

Among  Florida  Alligators.  . 
Among  the  Cow-Boys .  .  .  . 
Among  the  Ruins  of  Yucatan 
Andes,  The  Monarchs  of  the 
Animals  of  British  Guiana  . 
Ants  and  Monkeys,  Brazilian 
Arctic  Seas,  Fugitives  from  the 


,  Franz  Keller 424 

S.  C.  Clarke 70 

,  Louis  C.  Bradford 137 

,  John  L.  Stephens 343 

James  Outon 475 

C.  Barrington  Brown 393 

Henry  W.  Bates 464 

Elisha  Kent  Kane 206 


B. 

Bacon,  Alfred  Terry A  Colorado  "  Round-Up"  ....  129 

"  "  "  The  Country  of  the  Cliff- Dwellers  282 

Bates,  Henry  W Brazilian  Ants  and  Monkeys    .    .  464 

Besieged  by  Peccaries Jamus  W.  Wells 443 

Big  Trees,  Lake  Tahoe  and  the    .    .    .  A.  H.  Tevis 292 

Bourne,  Benjamin  F An  Escape  from  Captivity     .    .    .  512 

Brace,  Charles  Loring Mariposa  Grove  and  Yosemite  Val- 
ley    312 

Bradford,  Louis  C Among  the  Cow-Boys 137 

Brazilian  Ants  and  Monkeys    ....  Henry  W.  Bates 464 

British  Guiana,  Animals  of C.  Barrington  Bkown 393 

Brown,  C.  Barrington Animals  of  British  Guiana    .    .    .  393 

Bryant,  Henry  G The  Grand  Falls  of  Labrador    .    .  185 

Buffalo,  Hunting  the Washington  Irving 143 

Butler,  W.  F Winnipeg  Lake  and  River     .    .    .  245 


C. 

Campion,  J.  S A  Hunter's  Christmas  Dinner  . 

Canadian  Woods,  Hunting  Scenes  in 

the B.  A.  Watson 

Canoe- and  Camp-Life  on  the  Madeira  Franz  Keller 

623 


120 

174 
426 


524  INDEX. 

PAGE 

Carver,  Jonathan The  Fort  William  Henry  Massacre  9 

Chinese  Quarter  in  San  Francisco,  The  Helen  Hunt  Jackson 302 

Christmas  Dinner,  A  Hunter's  .    .    .    .  J.  S.  Campion 120 

Clarke,  William The  Great  Falls  of  the  Missouri  .  164 

Clarke,  S.  C Among  Florida  Alligators  ....  70 

Cliff-Dwellers,  The  Country  of  the  .    .  Alfred  Terry  Bacon 282 

Collis,  Septima  M The  Muir  Glacier 226 

Colorado  "  Round-Up,"  A Alfred  Terry  Bacon 129 

Country  of  the  Cliff-Dwellers,  The  .    .         "             "           "       282 

Country  of  the  Sioux,  In  the    ....  Meriwether  Lewis 153 

Cow-Boys,  Among  the Louis  C.  Bradford 137 

D. 

Darwin,  Charles Valparaiso  and  its  Vicinity  .    .    .  503 

Death,  Rescued  from W.  S.  Schley 216 

Destruction  of  San  Salvador,  The    .    .  Carl  Sherzer 361 

Down  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi    .    .    .  Thomas  L.  Nichols 90 

E. 

Escape  from  Captivity,  An Benjamin  F.  Bourne 512 

Esquimaux,  Life  among  the William  Edward  Parry     .    .    .  196 

F. 

Falls  of  Labrador,  The  Grand  .    .    .    .  Henry  G.  Bryant 185 

Falls  of  the  Missouri,  The  Great .    .    .  William  Clarke 164 

Featherstonhaugh,  G.  W Winter  on  the  Prairies 110 

Finck,  Henry  T A  Fine  Scenic  Route 255 

Fine  Scenic  Route,  A Henry  T.  Finck 255 

Florida  Alligators,  Among S.  C.  Clarke 70 

Forests  of  the  Amazon  and  Madeira 

Rivers,  The Franz  Keller 424 

Fort  William  Henry  Massacre,  The     .  Jonathan  Carver 9 

Fremont,  John  C South  Pass  and  Fremont's  Peak  .  266 

Froebel,  Julius The  Route  of  the  Nicaragua  Canal  354 

Froude,  James  Anthony Scenes  in  Trinidad  and  Jamaica  .  369 

Fugitives  from  the  Arctic  Seas    .    .    .  Elisha  Kent  Kane 206 

Q. 

Glacier,  The  Muir Septima  M.  Collis 226 

Grand  Falls  of  Labrador,  The  .    .    .    .  Henry  G.  Bryant 185 

Great  Falls  of  the  Missouri,  The  .    .    .  William  Clarke 164 

Gaucho  and  his  Horse,  The Thomas  J.  Hutchinson 495 


INDEX.  525 

H.  PAOR 

Harrison,  James  A.  .    ......    .  A  Summer  Trip  to  Alaska.    .    .    .  235 

Hayden,  Ferdinand  V In  the  Yellowstone  Park    ....  273 

High  Woods  of  Trinidad,  The  ....  Charles  Kingsley 381 

High-Roads  and  Bridges,  Inca.    .    .    .  E.  George  Squier 485 

Humboldt,  Alexander  yon     ....  Life  and  Scenery  in  Venezuela     .  403 

Hunter's  Christmas  Dinner,  A  .    .    .    .  J.  S.  Campion 120 

Hunting     Scenes     in     the    Canadian 

Woods B.  A.  Watson 174 

Hunting  the  Buffalo Washington  Irving 143 

Hutchinson,  Thomas  J The  Gaucho  and  his  Horse    .    .    .  495 

I. 

Inca  High-Roads  and  Bridges  .    .    .   .  E.  George  Squier 485 

Irving,  Washington Hunting  the  Buffalo 143 

J- 
Jackson,  Helen  Hunt The  Chinese  Quarter  in  San  Fran- 
cisco    302 

Jamaica,  Scenes  in  Trinidad  and  .    .    .  James  Anthony  Froude  ....  369 

K. 

Kane,  Elisha  Kent Fugitives  from  the  Arctic  Seas     .  206 

Keller,  Franz The  Forests  of  the  Amazon  and 

Madeira  Rivers 424 

"             "                                             Canoe-  and  Camp-Life  on  the  Ma- 
deira    436 

Kingsley,  Charles The  High  Woods  of  Trinidad    .    .  381 

L. 

Labrador,  The  Grand  Falls  of  ...    .  Henry  G.  Bryant 185 

Lake  Tahoe  and  the  Big  Trees     .    .    .  A.  H.  Tevis 292 

Latham,  Henry From  New  York  to  Washington  in 

18G6 35 

Lewis,  Meriwether In  the  Country  of  the  Sioux     .    .  153 

Life  among  the  Esquimaux William  Edward  Parry     .    .    .  196 

Life  and  Scenery  in  Venezuela     .    .    .  Alexander  von  Humboldt  .    .    .  403 

Llaneros  of  Venezuela,  The Ramon  Paez 414 

M. 

Mammoth  Cave,  In  the Therese  Yelverton 79 

Martineau,  Harriet Winter  and  Summer  in  New  Eng- 
land      18 


526  INDEX. 

Madeira   Rivers,  The    Forests  of  the  p*o" 

Amazon  and Franz  Keller 424 

Madeira,  Canoe-  and  Camp-Life  on  the        "            "         436 

Mariposa  Grove  and  Yosemite  Valley  Charles  Loring  Brace    ....  312 

Mexican  Lowlands,  The  Scenery  of  the  Felix  L.  Oswald 332 

Mexico,  A  Sportsman's  Experience  in  Sir  Rose  Lambert  Price  ....  323 

Mississippi,  Down  the  Ohio  and  .    .    .  Thomas  L.  Nichols 90 

Missouri,  the  Great  Falls  of  the  .    .    .  William  Clarke 164 

Monarchs  of  the  Andes,  The    ....  James  Orton 475 

Morris,  Charles Niagara  Falls  and  the  Thousand 

Islands ; 27 

Muir  Glacier,  The Septima  M.  Collis 226 

N. 

Natural  Bridge  and  Tunnel  of  Virginia, 

The Edward  A.  Pollard 45 

New  England,  Winter  and  Summer  in  Harriet  Martineau 18 

New   York    to    Washington    in    1866, 

From Henry  Latham 35 

New  Orleans  to  Red  River,  From  .  .  Frederick  Law  Olmsted  .  .  .  100 
Niagara    Falls     and     the     Thousand 

Islands Charles  Morris 27 

Nicaragua  Canal,  The  Route  of  the    .  Julius  Froebel 354 

Nichols,  Thomas  L Down  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi    .  90 

O. 

Ohio  and  Mississippi,  Down  the  .    .    .  Thomas  L.  Nichols 90 

Olmsted,  Frederick  Law From  New  Orleans  to  Red  River  100 

Orton,  James The  Monarchs  of  the  Andes  .   .   .  475 

Oswald,  Felix  L The  Scenery  of  the  Mexican  Low- 
lands    332 

P. 

Paez,  Ramon The  Llaneros  of  Venezuela   .   .   .  414 

Parry,  William  Edward Life  among  the  Esquimaux  ...  196 

Peccaries,  Besieged  by James  W.  Wells 443 

Perils  of  Travel,  The Ida  Pfeiffer 456 

Pfeiffer,  Ida The  Perils  of  Travel 456 

Plantation  Life  in  War  Times  ....  William  Howard  Russell  ...  58 

Pollard,  Edward  A The  Natural  Bridge  and  Tunnel 

of  Virginia 45 

Prairies,  Winter  on  the G.  W.  Featherstonhaugh    .    .    .  110 

Price,  Sir  Rose  Lambert A    Sportsman's     Experience    in 

Mexico 323 


INDEX.  527 

R.  PAGB 

Red  River,  From  New  Orleans  to    .    .  Frederick  Law  Olmsted   .    .    .  100 

Rescued  from  Death W.  S.  Schley 216 

"  Round-Up,"  A  Colorado Alfred  Terry  Bacon 129 

Route  of  the  Nicaragua  Canal,  The     .  Julius  Froebel 354 

Ruins  of  Yucatan,  Among  the     .    .    .  John  L.  Stephens 343 

Russell,  William  Howard     ....  Plantation  Life  in  War  Times  .    .  58 

S. 

San  Francisco,  The  Chinese  Quarter  in  Helen  Hunt  Jackson 302 

San  Salvador,  The  Destruction  of    .    .  Carl  Sherzer 361 

Scenery  of  the  Mexican  Lowlands  .    .  Felix  L.  Oswald 332 

Scenes  in  Trinidad  and  Jamaica  .    .    .  James  Anthony  Froude    ....  369 

Scenic  Route,  A  Fine Henry  T.  Finck 255 

Schley,  W.  S Rescued  from  Death 216 

Sherzer,  Carl The  Destruction  of  San  Salvador  361 

Sioux,  In  the  Country  of  the    ....  Meriwether  Lewis 153 

South  Pass  and  Fremont's  Peak  .    .    .  John  C.  Fremont 266 

Sportsman's  Experience  in  Mexico,  A  Sir  Rose  Lambert  Price  ....  323 

Squier,  E.  George Inca  High-Roads  and  Bridges  .    .  485 

Stephens,  John  L Among  the  Ruins  of  Yucatan  .    .  343 

Summer  Trip  to  Alaska,  A James  A.  Harrison 235 

T. 

Tevis,  A.  H Lake  Tahoe  and  the  Big  Trees .    .  292 

Thousand  Islands,  Niagara  Falls  and 

the Charles  Morris 27 

Travel,  The  Perils  of Ida  Pfeiffer 456 

Trinidad  and  Jamaica,  Scenes  in     .    .  James  Anthony  Froude   ....  369 

Trinidad,  The  High  Woods  of  ...    .  Charles  Kingsley 381 

V. 

Valparaiso  and  its  Vicinity Charles  Darwin 503 

Venezuela,  Life  and  Scenery  in    .    .    .  Alexander  von  Humboldt  .    .    .  403 

Venezuela,  The  Llaneros  of Ramon  Paez 414 

W. 

War  Times,  Plantation  Life  in .    .    .    .  William  Howard  Russell  .    .    .  58 
Washington  in  1866,  From  New  York 

to Henry  Latham 35 

Watson,  B.  A Hunting     Scenes     in     the     Canadian 

Woods 174 

Wells,  James  W Besieged  by  Peccaries 443 

Winnipeg  Lake  and  River W.  F.  Butler 245 


528  INDEX. 

PAGE 

Winter  and  Summer  in  New  England  Harriet  Martineau 18 

Winter  on  the  Prairies G.  W.  Featherstonhaugh   .    .    .  110 

Y. 

Yellowstone  Park,  In  the Ferdinand  V.  Hayden 273 

Yei/verton,  Therese In  the  Mammoth  Cave 79 

Yosemite  Valley,  Mariposa  Grove  and .  Charles  Loring  Brace    ....  312 

Yucatan,  Among  the  Ruins  of  ...    .  John  L.  Stephens 343 


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